Bhut Jolokia

The Bhut Jolokia or Naga Jolokia chili is a cultivar of the species Capsicum chinense pepper. Landraces with this name come from the northeast of India and have become known for their special sharpness also outside India. 2006, the chili was included as hottest chile in the world in the Guinness Book of World Records. Previously, measurements of the Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University record levels of over one million Scoville units arise, which corresponds to about twice the sharpness of the previous record holder 'Red Savina '. 2012 was replaced as the hottest chile in the world Bhut Jolokia Trinidad Moruga Scorpion.

• 3.1 Kitchen
• 3.2 Medical use
• 3.3 irritant

Description

' Bhut - Jolokia' plants growing in reach a height of about 120 cm, reports from North India speak of kitchen gardens in which three year old plants reach a height of about 4 m. The morphology corresponds to that of typical representatives of the species Capsicum chinense: The surface of the leaves looks wrinkled, the flowers often hang in pairs ( occasionally in threes ) from the axils of the stem axis and have creamy white crowns. The stamens consist of a purple stamens on which a blue dust bag is. The Capsicum chinense for typical constriction between pedicel and calyx, although only vaguely distinct, but recognizable.

Since the plant has a hybrid origin, often occurs stall pollen, resulting in a reduced rate and thus the falling -pollination of flowers. The fruits ripen from green to bright red from, in northeast India also landraces with orange, bright red and chocolate brown fruits are known. They reach a length of 5 to 8 cm, are elongated and have a corrugated surface. In the fruit seeds were counted 22-47.

Cultivation

Traditional cultivation in India

In Northeast India Bhut - Jolokia' crops are ' sporadic grown in mixed culture with rice in Jhum change culture or grown in small home gardens. The plants are sown either directly or set as one to two months old seedlings in the rice fields where previously often bamboo was cleared and burned. The main harvest usually takes place in August and September. In home gardens often shadier places for the plants are preferred, since the yield should be higher than in very sunny locations.

Growing conditions

The ideal temperature for germination of seeds is between 26 ° C and 32 ° C in a moist substrate. Germination is often very slow and can take up to 36 days. ' Bhut Jolokia ' require a very long ripening time, so between sowing and harvesting can take up to 160 days.

Use

Kitchen

In the kitchen of the north-eastern India, especially in Nagaland, the ' Bhut Jolokia ' is appreciated not only for its sharpness, but also because of their flavor. It is harvested green or mature, and used raw or cooked together with vegetables. This is a single fruit to flavor two meals a five-to six-member family suffice.

Since the main harvest season for the fruit coincides with the end of the monsoon rains, drying the fruit is not practical. Instead, the fruits are preserved either by inserting or smoking. When inserting three basic approaches are known: the fruits are cut each into slices and then stored in a mass of shredded bamboo shoots a week or two either in the sun or placed in mustard oil or lemon juice.

Medical use

The ' Bhut Jolokia ' is used in traditional medicine in Northeast India occasionally use. They should be applied in small doses, among others in asthma and complaints of the digestive tract, hot extracts to help in tooth and muscle pain. A paste made from the young leaves of the plant is applied to burns. For some of the applications, scientific studies can be found, in which the efficacy was confirmed in comparable applications.

Irritant

A large proportion of publications from India to extremely hot chilli varieties is related to the Indian defense research and development organization ( Defence Research and Development Establishment). Already in the first release of 2000 will be discussed a possible use as an irritant to control riots, 2005 is referred to as " good progress to find adequate alternatives to CN, CS and CR gas. " ( " Progressing well in finding suitable alternative to CN, CS and CR " ). 2009, it was announced that one wants to apply the product obtained from the fruit of capsaicin in the form of hand grenades.

History and Research

The first mention of a chili in the scientific literature, which is associated with the ' Bhut Jolokia ', is published in August 2000 publication of Indian scientists led by Ritesh Mathur. They identified a ' designated as ' Tezpur' chili or ' Naga Hari sort by HPLC measurement a severity level of 855,000 Scoville units. The type is specified by them as Capsicum frutescens. From western scientists who were aware of the chilli from India by a newspaper report in the " International Herald Tribune ", these results were viewed with skepticism. On the one hand was not visible from the publication whether and to what extent the information necessary for a comparison of the results calibrations were performed prior to HPLC measurement; on the other hand not nearly as high sharpness values ​​of Capsicum frutescens were known and also for the until then known as the hottest chile 'Red Savina ' was only given a sharpness of 577,000 Scoville units.

From 2001 collected ' Bhut - Jolokia' seeds in Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University were expanded under the direction of Paul Bosland in India. Due to a low fruit set and a small number of seeds in the fruit enough seeds were available until 2005 to start a comparison test between ' Bhut Jolokia ', ' Red Savina ' and a commercially available orange Habanero variety. Studies of DNA showed that ' Bhut Jolokia ' is a natural hybrid of the two species Capsicum chinense and Capsicum frutescens is. The genome is similar, especially of the former type genes from Capsicum frutescens are likely to be introduced by natural introgression. The same measurement performed the sharpness found for ' Bhut Jolokia ' 1,001,304 Scoville units, the Habanero reached 357 729 Scoville units and the 'Red Savina ' even only 248 556 Scoville units. 2010, a study of the DNA of different landraces from Manipur was published, which scientists have made to Keithellakpam Sanatombi. According to her, it is never clearly specified in the ' Naga Hari ' from the publication by Ritesh Mathur et al. from 2000 to the cultivar ' Umorok ', which also chinense in the investigations a position between Capsicum and Capsicum frutescens occupied. Whether ' Umorok ' with ' Bhut Jolokia ' is identical, is not mentioned.

In autumn 2006, the Guinness Book of World Records announced that the ' Bhut Jolokia ' is acknowledged as hottest chile variety of the world, and thus the previous record holder 'Red Savina ' was ousted. This was in turn replaced since 2011 by the 'Trinidad Scorpion Butch Taylor ', but which is referred to only in the 2012 edition in the Guinness Book of Records as the hottest chili in the world. The Chile Pepper Institute in New Mexico has taken the measurements of the 'Trinidad Scorpion Butch Taylor ' note, led initially but continue the Bhut Jolokia as the hottest chili in the world because the usual scientific methods were not met. 2012, the title of the variety 'Trinidad Moruga Scorpion ' but was then granted.

Etymology

The different names are used for these ultra - hot chili, all refer to the same species, they are caused by different local names in Northeast India. ' Bhut Jolokia ' means about as much as "ghost chili ", ' Bih Jolokia ' "poison chili " and the name ' Naga Jolokia ' refers to the process known as warlike Naga people, the residents of the State of Nagaland. Reports from India go however, assumes that the translation of ' Bhut ' by "spirit" only an interpretation of Western scientists and the name rather is due to the origin of chili from Bhutan.