The Carolina Reaper

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

is a

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

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, in many cases, exceptional Pungency, heat. The Race to ...

'' plant. Developed by American breeder Ed Currie, the pepper is red and gnarled, with a bumpy texture and small pointed tail. It was the hottest chili pepper in the world according to ''

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 British reference book published annually, list ...

'' from 2013 to 2023 before it was surpassed by Pepper X, which was also developed by Currie.

Development

Currie, an American breeder, began working around 2001 on what would become the Carolina Reaper. It took over 10 years to develop. Sorting through hundreds of hybrid combinations, Currie was finally successful at crossing a "really nastily hot" La Soufrière (Saint Vincent)

Habanero pepper The habanero (; ) is a Pungency, pungent cultivar of ''Capsicum chinense'' chili pepper. Unripe habaneros are green, and they color as they mature. The most common color variants are orange and red, but the fruit may also be white, brown, yello ...

from the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and a Naga pepper/ Ghost pepper (locally known as bhüt jolokia) from Assam". During November of that year, a reporter from

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

visited Currie to try the new pepper. According to Currie's website: "The reporter ate a small piece of the pepper, rolled around on the floor, hallucinated, and then shared his experiences with the national media." Currie officially named the pepper: "Smokin' Ed's Carolina Reaper". The word "reaper" was chosen by Currie due to the shape of the pepper's "sickle-like" tail.

Details

The Carolina Reaper was certified as the world's hottest chili pepper by ''Guinness World Records'' on August 11, 2017. Testing was 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, a ...

in South Carolina during the certification process which showed an average heat level of 1,641,183 SHU for a given batch. Previously the record for the hottest pepper had been held by the scorpion pepper which measured in at 1,463,700 SHU in comparison. It was later claimed through media outlets such as the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

that an individual Carolina Reaper had a heat level of 2.2 million SHU. Currie eventually bred an even stronger pepper—known as " Pepper X"—that took the title of "World's Hottest Pepper" on August 23, 2023 that was tested indicating an average rating of 2.69 million SHUs. Mature Carolina Reaper

Pungency

The Reaper 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 ( ) is 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 lower ...

detected when eating a Carolina Reaper derives from the density of capsaicinoids, particularly

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

, which relates directly to the intensity of chili pepper heat and Scoville Heat Units (SHU).

Cultivation

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

Notes

References

External links

Ed Currie, Breeding the Carolina Reaper
– video on

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(17 July 2017) {{Capsicum cultivars Chili peppers Crops originating from the United States Capsicum cultivars