Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia Hot Pepper)

This pepper defies description, but let's give it a try.

In 2007, it was certified by Guiness as the world's hottest pepper with around a million scoville units. How hot is that? Well, tabasco peppers weigh in between 30,000 to 50,000. Most people think tabasco is too hot, so you can judge what it might mean to experience a pepper 25 times hotter than that. Today there are even hotter peppers out there, but the ghost pepper remains a standard in hot sauces around the world.

This pepper came from Northeast India in the region called Assam. In their language it is called "Bhut Jolokia" which means Bhutan Pepper. Bhutan is the country that neighbors Assam to the west.

Ripe peppers measure 2 to 3 inches in length and 1 inch in width with a variable red, yellow, orange, or chocolate color. Ghost pepper pods are unique among peppers because of their characteristic shape and very thin skin.

In case you didn't read the above: this pepper is ridiculously hot, way way beyond anything you've experienced before. Please know what you're doing before experimenting with any culinary uses of this variety.

100-120 days to maturity. Each packet contains 0.25 gram, which is approximately 30 seeds.