The hottest One

COVER STORY: The magazine8217;s cover story , which takes a look at the culinary specialities and peculiarities around the world, has zeroed in on the burnt orange pods, developed in a military laboratory in Tezpur, as packing the deadliest punch. The article, titled Global Warming, notes that the bhut jolokia8212;also called the Naga chilli8212;carries the sort of heat that one would normally find only in the hottest chilli sauces made from pure pepper extract.

THE MEASUREMENT: Chilli heat is measured in Scoville Heat Units SHUs, and while pure capsaicin8212;the main capsaicinoid in a chilli8212;measures 160 lakh SHUs, the ghost chilli measures just over 10 lakh SHUs. A bell pepper typically measures zero, while the spiciest Thai chillies come in at around one lakh SHUs and most people are reduced to tears by eating anything around two lakh.

ONLY HERE: In September 2000, the Defence Research Laboratory in Tezpur had announced that it had identified the hottest chilli in the world. Now, the laboratory is contemplating applying for the Geographical Indication Certification to ensure that only bhut jolokias from Northeast India are sold as such.

NO LONGER HOT: Previously, the hottest chilli ever measured was the Red Savina that was grown by a commercial chilli farmer in California, the US, and measured 5,77,000 SHUs.