Saturday, March 27, 2010
Bhut jolokia with Shawn Mann
Spicy would not do justice to describe the bhut jolokia. Measured to be the hottest chili pepper in the world, the bhut jolokia is being put to use not just in the kitchens of India but in defense research laboratories as well.
Indian military leaders hope to develop a non-lethal hand grenade that will overpower terrorists by spraying small amounts of the bhut jolokia in the air. If inhaled, the pepper can make it nearly impossible for someone to breath, thus compromising their ability to fight.
How hot is the bhut jolokia? On the Scoville heat units scale, a jalapeno measures 10,000. The red savina—once considered the hottest pepper on the planet—registers 577,000. But the bhut jolokia comes in at more than 1 million.
India’s researchers are also looking into other ways to use the pepper, such as a deterrent for women to fight off attackers.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
The Chilli Hand Grenade is Ready to Explode! (Times of India)
Saga Jolokia: Indian Chilli Acquires Cult Following in US (by Chidanand Rajghatta, Economic Times)
‘Bhut Jolokia’—The World’s Hottest Known Chile Pepper is a Putative Naturally Occurring Interspecific Hybrid (by Paul W. Bosland1 and Jit B. Baral, HortScience) (pdf)
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