The Carolina Reaper is a

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

of the ''

Capsicum chinense ''Capsicum chinense'', commonly known as a "habanero-type pepper", is a species of chili pepper native to the Americas. ''C. chinense'' varieties are well known for their unique flavors and many have exceptional heat. The hottest peppers in th ...

'' plant. Developed by American breeder Ed Currie, the pepper is red and gnarled, with a bumpy texture and small pointed tail. In 2017, ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' declared it the hottest

chili pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...

in the world.

Pungency

The crossbreed is between a "really nastily hot" La Soufriere pepper from Saint Vincent and a

Naga Viper pepper The Naga Viper pepper is a hot chili pepper. In 2011, it was recorded as the "World's Hottest Chili" by the ''Guinness World Records'' with a rating of 1,382,118 Scoville heat units (SHU), but was surpassed in SHU by the current world record ho ...

from

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, and was named "Reaper" due to the shape of its tail. It has been described as having a fruity taste, with the initial bite being sweet and then immediately turning to "molten lava". The sensory heat or

pungency Pungency () refers to the taste of food commonly referred to as spiciness, hotness or heat, found in foods such as chili peppers. Highly pungent tastes may be experienced as unpleasant. The term piquancy () is sometimes applied to foods with a l ...

detected when eating a Carolina Reaper derives from the density of

capsaicinoid Capsaicin (8-methyl-''N''-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) ( or ) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus ''Capsicum''. It is a chemical irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning ...

s, particularly

capsaicin Capsaicin (8-methyl-''N''-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) ( or ) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus ''Capsicum''. It is a chemical irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burnin ...

, which relates directly to the intensity of chili pepper heat and Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The pepper was bred in a greenhouse in

Rock Hill, South Carolina Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia (all located in North Carolina, ...

, by Ed Currie, proprietor of the Puckerbutt Pepper Company in

Fort Mill Fort Mill, also known as Fort Mill Township, is a town in York County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina. As of 2020 census, 24,521 people live inside the town's corporate limits. Some businesses and resid ...

. It was certified as the world's hottest chili pepper by ''

'' on August 11, 2017, surpassing the previous record set by the Trinidad Scorpion "Butch T". The official ''Guinness World Record'' heat level was 1,641,183 SHU in 2017, according to tests conducted by

Winthrop University Winthrop University is a public university in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was founded in 1886 by David Bancroft Johnson, who served as the superintendent of Columbia, South Carolina, schools. He received a grant from Robert Charles Winthrop, ...

in South Carolina. The figure is an average for the tested batch; the hottest individual pepper was measured at 2.2 million SHU. In May 2017, Welsh breeder Mike Smith of

St Asaph St Asaph (; cy, Llanelwy "church on the Elwy") is a city and community on the River Elwy in Denbighshire, Wales. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 3,355, making it the second-smallest city in Britain in terms of population and urban ...

claimed to have surpassed the Carolina Reaper with his Dragon's Breath pepper, developed by Smith alongside

Nottingham Trent University Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is a public research university in Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

and reported to be 2.4 million SHUs; Smith applied to ''Guinness World Records'' for confirmation. Four months later, however, Currie claimed to have bred a stronger pepper known as Pepper X with 3.18 million SHUs.

Cultivation

For growing, the pepper has been described as "a good all-rounder to try at home" by English ethnobotanist James Wong, who said that they require temperatures of at least and suggested growing in pots to restrict growth and produce fruit sooner. When fully ripe, two peppers occupy the palm of the hand.

References

External links

Ed Currie, Breeding the Carolina Reaper, YouTube, 17 July 2017
{{Capsicum cultivars Chili peppers Crops originating from the United States Capsicum cultivars

Pungency

Cultivation

See also

References

External links