There are an estimated 50,000 varieties of chili peppers in the world today. It is the result of hybridization over the past 6,000 years, from the first varieties of peppers found in South and Central America.
Each type of chili has a different flavor and spiciness, depending on the variety and growing conditions of each region. For example, bell peppers often have a spiciness ranging from 0 to 100 SHU, which means that they are not spicy at all or are so mild that they cannot be felt. Another type of chili more familiar to Vietnamese people is the sky chili, which ranges from 100,000 to 250,000 SHU, reaching the limit of heat tolerance for most people. However, this number is nothing with 2.2 million SHU, the spiciness belongs to a type of chili called Carolina Reaper, which is also the hottest chili in the world recognized by the Guinness World Records up to now.
According to Man of Many, an Australian culture and lifestyle publication, the Carolina Reaper is the product of a cross between the Naga Viper chili pepper with a spiciness of 1,382,118 SHU (from Pakistan) and the Habanero with spiciness. about 350,000 SHU (from the Caribbean island of St Vincent).
Scale of spiciness of chili:
In 1912, pharmacist Wilbur Scoville invented the Scoville scale, which was used to measure the spiciness of chili peppers. According to Masterclass, an online education platform, Scoville tested the spiciness of chili peppers by mixing sugar water with capsaicin essential oil extract – the chemical compound found in chili peppers, which is the main ingredient that creates the burning sensation every day. when the body comes into contact with chili peppers. The solution is then dripped onto the tongues of test volunteers. If they can still feel the heat, Scoville will dilute the solution with water and continue testing until no more spicy taste remains. The degree of spiciness is assessed through the degree of dilution of the solution. Now, thanks to the development of science, researchers have found a method of “liquid chromatography” that helps measure the spiciness of chili peppers more gently.
Based on these methods, five of the hottest chili peppers in the world have been found today, including:
Carolina Reaper: SHU 2,200,000 Trinidad Moruga scorpion pepper: SHU 2,009,231 SHU Chili 7 “pot” Douglah: 1,853,936 SHU Chili Pepper 7 “pot” Primo: 1,469,000 SHU Trinidad scorpion chili Butch T: 1,463,700 SHU
In which, the average spiciness of all chili peppers in the world is 1.6 million SHU.
Is it safe to eat Carolina Reaper peppers?
Common chili peppers used by humans range in spiciness from about 0 to 230,000 SHU. Very few people can withstand this extreme heat, and if so, there will be many serious health consequences. In 2018, a 34-year-old man was hospitalized with severe headaches, just days after eating Carolina Reaper peppers. Even 5 weeks later, new brain scans showed that the constricted arteries had returned to normal. Or like in 2020, the US National Center for Biotechnology Information reported the case of a 15-year-old boy who unfortunately ate a Carolina Reaper chili pepper and suffered an acute cerebellar stroke two days after being hospitalized.
However, there are still some people who show interest and risk “enjoying” the “death” chili. According to the announcement posted on the League of Fire page, there is a list of achievements of the champions eating the Carolina Reaper chili peppers. In particular, the highest position is held by Gregory “Iron Guts” Barlow of Melbourne, Australia, who ate 160 Carolina Reapers peppers in one go. Followed by Dustin “Atomik Menace” Johnson from Las Vegas with 122 balls.
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