Heat Index for Hot Peppers

Peppers are high in Vitamin C.

The level of heat of a pepper is determined by its location and the conditions in which it grows, such as temperature and water; however, the most important factor of all is the amount of capsaicin present. This ingredient is what adds heat to the pepper.

Identification

The Scoville scale measures the quantity of capsaicin in peppers, giving a measure of heat. It works by diluting an extract of the pepper in a sugar syrup over and over again until the heat is no longer noticeable. For example, cayenne pepper measures 30,000 on the Scoville scale, which means it needs to be diluted 30,000 times until the heat is no longer detected.

Hottest Peppers

The hottest pepper in the world is the Naga Jolokia pepper, which originates in India and measures in at 800,000 Scoville units, followed by the Red Savina Habanero from California and the Scotch Bonnet from the Caribbean at 350,000 and 150,000 units respectively.

Medium to Low Heat Peppers

Medium heat peppers are the orange habanero, fatalii, date, Thai, cayenne, tabasco, Serrano, jalapeno and poblano peppers. Pimento and sweet bell peppers measure 0 on the scale.

References

• Epicurean: What's Hot is Hot - Chili Peppers & Scoville Heat Index
• Armadillo Pepper: Hot Pepper Heat Index