10 hottest peppers in the world

The heat of the world's most popular pepper varieties is measured on the Scoville scale.

The Scoville scale is used to measure the heat of peppers. The name comes from the name of the founder, Wilbur Scoville, a famous American pharmacist. The heat of peppers varies greatly depending on the plant variety, but other determining factors include climate (humidity and temperature), soil composition, and the amount and type of fertilizer used. Below is a list of the most burning ones.

10.0 Scoville units - bell pepper

Bell peppers, also called bell peppers, do not register on the Scoville scale at all. It comes in a variety of colors such as red, yellow, orange, green, chocolate/brown, vanilla/white and crimson. Peppers do not contain capsaicin, so their heat is 0 on the Scoville scale.

9. 100-1000 Scoville units - yellow Peruvian chili, Cuban pepper, paprika

Yellow Peruvian chilies are a mild type of chili that are sometimes called yellow wax peppers or banana chilies. It has a bright yellow, green or red color. The taste of banana pepper is mild, the heat on the scale is 0 - 500 Scoville units.

Cuban peppers (Italian roasting peppers) are juicy and sweet peppers, yellow-greenish when unripe and bright red when ripe. It is used in Cuba, Italy, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Its heat is about 1,000 units on the Scoville scale.

Paprika is a mixture of capsicums. Mild peppers are often used for this powder, but some people prefer to mix hotter peppers, such as cayenne and chili peppers.

8. 1000-3500 Scoville units - Anaheim pepper, pasilla chili pepper, peppadew

Anaheim peppers are New Mexico's No. 9 crop. It is named after the city of Anaheim in California. Its heat level ranges from 500 to 2500 on the Scoville scale, significantly lower than the variety grown in New Mexico.

Pasilla chili peppers are dried chilaca chili peppers. It gets its name from its dark, wrinkled appearance when dried. This type of spice, made from capsicums, is mild in taste, its heat is 1,000 - 3,999 units.

Peppadew is a brand representing the Capsicum baccatum pepper variety, discovered in South Africa in 1993. This mild, tomato-like pepper has a heat level of 1,177.

7. 3500-10000 Scoville units – Guajillo pepper, Fresno chili pepper, jalapeno

Guajillo peppers belong to the capsicum annuum variety and are widely used in Mexico. Its heat level of 2,500 to 5,000 units is considered weak.

Fresno chili peppers are another variety of Capsicum annuum capsicum. This is a Mexican chili that grows upright. Its heat on the Scoville scale ranges from 2500 to 5000 units.

Jalapeño is also a type of capsicum annuum. The heat of the pepper varies depending on the variety. The champion in heat is the chiltepin pepper, which has 462,884 units on the scale.

6. 10,000-30,000 Scoville units - badgi chili, serrano, Petra pepper

Byadgi chilli is a variety of pepper grown primarily in Karnataka, India. It scores between 30,000 and 50,000 Scoville units.

Serrano is a species of capsicum annuum, native to Mexico. Its Scoville rating ranges from 10,000 to 23,000. Pepper is consumed raw.

Another member of the capsicum species is the Petra pepper. This chili pepper, whose origin is unknown, comes in red and yellow colors. It has a rating of 10,000 – 23,000 Scoville units.

5. 30,000 – 50,000 Scoville units – guntur chili, cayenne pepper, Tabasco pepper

Guntur chili belongs to the Capsicum chinense variety. It is widely distributed and grown in the Guntur region of India. Its heat ranges from 30,000 to 350,000 Scoville units.

Cayenne pepper has many names, including Guinea spice, cow horn pepper, red hot pepper, aleve pepper, bird pepper and cayenne pepper. This is a variety of capsicum that is grown in temperate, tropical areas. The heat of cayenne pepper is between 30,000-350,000 units.

Tabasco pepper variety Capsicum frutescens. Country of origin - Mexico. The pungency ranges from 30,000 to 50,000 units. It is commonly used in Tabasco sauce.

4. 50,000-100,000 Scoville units – malagueta pepper, chilitepin, piri piri

Malagueta pepper belongs to the Capsicum frutescens variety. Found primarily in Mozambique, Brazil and Portugal, its heat ranges from 60,000 to 100,000 Scoville units.

Ciletepin pepper (Capsicum annuum) comes from North and South America. The heat of peppers ranges from 50,000 to 100,000 Scoville units.

Piri piri is also called pili pili or African bird's eye chili, it belongs to the Capsicum chinense cultivar and is widely grown in Africa. Some varieties of pepper have a heat rating of up to 175,000 Scoville units.

3. 100,000-350,000 Scoville units - habanero chili, bird's eye chili, Scotch bonnet pepper

The habanero pepper is very hot, ranging from 100,000 to 350,000 on the Scoville scale. When it is unripe, it is green, and when ripe, it is red. The variety originally appeared in the Amazon, but spread to Mexico, where it became very popular.

Bird's eye chili has several names, including bird's eye chili, chili de arbol, and Thai chili. It is a member of the Capsicum annuum cultivar and is commonly found in Ethiopia and parts of Southeast Asia. Its heat is 100,000-225,000 Scoville units.

Scotch bonnet pepper is a Jamaican pepper and goes by several other names. Its pungency is estimated at 100,000-400,000 Scoville units.

2. 350,000-580,000 Scoville units – habanero red Savina

Savina red peppers are a type of habanero chile. From 1994 to 2006, it held the title of the hottest chili, until it was removed from its place. Frank Garcia of GNS Spices was entrusted with developing this chili. Peppers reach a maximum of 577,000 Scoville units.

1. 855000-2480000 Scoville Units – Ghost Pepper, Dragon's Breath, Infinity Chili

The hottest pepper in the world is called dragon's breath. Drinking dragon's breath can kill a person, as it has been found that drinking it can lead to anaphylactic shock. This pepper was created by accident by Welsh gardener Mike Smith.

Ghost peppers are also some of the hottest peppers in the world. It is mainly grown in northeast India and neighboring parts of Bangladesh. The heat is up to 800,000 - 1,041,427 Scoville units.

Infinity chili was the hottest pepper for two weeks in February 2011 with 1,067,286 Scoville units. This chili is a hybrid of Capsicum chinense. Nick Woods of England, who develops new varieties, received credit for this plant.

Video review of the top ten hottest peppers in the world for lovers of savory delicacies: