"scoville units" news and stories

Tear-jerking, hot, spicy, smoky, sweet and sour and even herbaceous can all be descriptors of chilies and the distinctive aromas and flavors that they can impart to food. But if we're just talking heat, the Bhut Naga Jolokia, hailing from Northeastern India and also cultivated in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, is reputed to be the world's hottest chili -- and I've eaten it. In large amounts it's dangerously hot, but out of all the dried chilies I've cooked with, the Naga Jolokia is a staple in my spice drawer because it has a unique tang that's much more than just heat. There are hundreds of chilies to choose from, but I have my favorites, both dried and fresh.

Dried Ground Allepo Chile

Sun dried Allepo chiles come from Syria and have a rich, lightly smoky yet fruity flavor. They can be found in gourmet spice shops; I bought mine at Kalustyan's in New York City. Allepo can be added to any traditional beef stew recipe, but it pairs especially nicely with tomato-based soups, stews and chili. I just add a tablespoon to my beef cubes before coating them in flour and browning them in oil, or I sprinkle it over the ground meat before browning chili meat.

Fresh Serrano and Finger Chilies

Serrano chilies are grown in Mexico and California and can be found fresh in gourmet grocery stores. Use it much as you would a jalapeno; I like it in my guacamole. They're also great in marinades mixed with fresh cilantro, garlic, and olive oil.

Dried Arbol Chilies

Dried arbol chilies, primarily grown in Mexico and a cousin to the cayenne chile, can be found in Latin groceries stores. I love arbol with sweet oranges. The simple combination with a little olive oil can make for a killer sauce for sautéed shrimp. But this morning, I had a craving for a mall-style Orange Julius. I wanted to make a sweet drink for myself, but with less sugar, more nutrition, and a little extra kick. This one tasted like the real deal, but packed extra spice from arbol.

After the jump, get Jennifer's recipe for a Chile Spiked Orange Smoothie.

A British couple has grown what they claim to be the hottest variety of chili pepper in the world. Dubbed the Dorset Naga, the pepper has apparently tested at between 876,000 and 970,000 Scoville heat units, according to The Telegraph. For comparison, common habanero peppers clock in at about 200,000-300,000 SHUs and jalapeños are in the low thousands. The Dorset Naga was developed by Michael and Joy Michaud in Dorset. On their website, they trace the origin of their chili to the Bangladeshi Naga Morich. Still, Dorset Naga is hotter than that, and the Michaud's aren't quite sure why. Their site features several articles about similar strains of absurdly hot peppers. According to the Telegraph article, there isn't a whole lot you can do with the Dorset Naga. Some of the Michaud's customers have actually complained that the peppers were too hot to cook with. A chef quoted in the article says that some people simply brush their foods with the pepper before eating.