This Carolina reaper belongs to the capsicum Chinense family. A well renowned breeder from North Carolina, Ed curry created this hot chili pepper. And holds the title as the ‘world’s hottest chili pepper’ from the Guinness book of records in the year 2017.
And until now(as of May 2022) the Carolina reaper holds this world title.
It has a fruity flavor and with an intense heat. And reported to have about 2.2 million SHU in Scoville scale(where green bell pepper is recorded at 0 SHU and jalapeno peppers averages in 5000 SHU).
What is Carolina reaper?
It's the world's hottest pepper created in the year of 2013. And this is a crossbreed between the Saint Vincent and Nagao viper pepper from Pakistan.
And considered as one of the most popular types of peppers in the commercial markets of the United States. The leading food companies and the pepper enthusiasts are coming up with new flavors to spice up various foods.
Currently, conventional food items like salsa, chips, beef jerky, chips, peanuts are being infused with hot Carolina reaper and being introduced in the market.
And these hot and spicy foods are being welcomed and endorsed by the people across the world in recent years.
What do these peppers look like?
It has a long, sharp, pointed tail. And this chili pepper named after its resemblance toward the weapon-reaper.
The fully ripe Carolina reaper looks with glossy wrinkled skin and with a bright red color, with an elongated round structure with a sting like tail at the end.
Its young pods start to grow in a green color. And as they mature, its color transforms to orange and deep red color.
This hot chili pepper looks smaller in size, measuring about 1 inch wider and 1 to 1.5 inch in lengthwise.
Typically a pepper’s bright color, the petite structure and the wrinkled skin indicates the power packed concentrated heat. And this statement is a pure example of this Carolina reaper.
What do they taste like?
The red colored, ripen Carolina reaper tastes mildly sweet with a concentrated heat and a fruity flavor. The young green pods taste grassy with rich heat that stays.
The ripen peppers are the most common to find them in the commercial markers.
Irrespective of its maturity, this has a concentrated heat. And has the potential to create skin irritation and a burning sensation. The symptoms can lasts up to 20 minutes or longer.
Needless to say, the symptoms vary from each individual. Hence, always proceed with caution when handling any pepper-including this Carolina reaper.
What’s the Scoville scale units of Scotch bonnet chili peppers?
This hot and spicy pepper was bred by Pickerbutt pepper company in South Carolina. And was recorded at the high of 2,192, 431 Scoville heat units in the laboratory of Winthrop University.
It has the strongest capsaicin(a chemical compound that’s responsible for the heat). Its obvious that it could create a burning sensation and itchy irritation.
The mouth, eyes, ears are the most vulnerable areas, always wear a pair of gloves and carefully remove them after the usage. And always make sure not to touch the sensitive part of the body like face, eyes while handling this pepper.
How to use them in recipes
If you are searching for a hot condiment or a seasoning to spice up your dishes, then choices are many to choose from. Some are compiled as follows.
As a spice blend. Dehydrate by sun drying, or using a dehydrator. And blend it to a powder. And experiment by mixing it with your favorite spice blend.
In salsa/salad. Mince the peppers and toss them to the salad or salsa. Remove the seeds to minimize the heat.
Stir fry. Stir in chopped pepper to any stir fry and wait for the sizzle to happen.
Dressing. Blend fresh pepper or processed pepper to your regular dressing and feel the tremendous heat it brings in.
Leave a Reply