[CH] Ole! Indian Chili Is Hotter Than Mexico's
The Old Bear (oldbear@arctos.com)
Tue, 05 Sep 2000 18:34:55 -0400
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Reuters Newswire
Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2000
Ole! Indian Chili Is Hotter Than Mexico's
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GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - The hottest chili on earth is
Indian.
Four Indian scientists have discovered that a type of chili
grown in the country's northeast has the highest Scoville units
of pure capsaicin -- a measure of hotness.
Called the Tezpur chili, after the area where it is grown,
scientists say the pepper has beaten Mexico's Red Savina
Habanero, widely acclaimed as the hottest chili in the world.
Tezpur lies on the banks of the river Brahmaputra about 112
miles from Guwahati, the main city of Assam, which is better
known for its flavorsome tea than its chilis.
"The Tezpur chili was rated having 855,000 Scoville
units... the Mexican chili contained 557,000 Scoville units of
pure capsaicin," one of the scientists, who asked not to be
identified, told Reuters.
The scientists work in defense laboratories in Guwahati and
Gwalior.
The Scoville scale is named after German scientist Wilbur
Scoville, the first to measure the heat component in chili.
India is the world's top producer of chilis, exporting an
estimated 35 tons a year.