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| Naga Morich | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Heat |  Exceptionally hot |
| Scoville scale | SR: >800,000 SHU |
The Naga Morich is a chili pepper originally grown primarily in Bangladesh and Northeast India. It is also one of the hottest known chilli peppers and measures 800,000 SHU on Scoville scale. Morich is the word for chilli pepper in Bengali (মরিচ), with similar words in Assamese (মৰিচ, moris), Nepali, Hindi (मिर्च) and the languages of Nagaland and Manipur. "Naga Mircha" is registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Nagaland by Government of India.
Plant characteristics
Like many varieties of the Chinense species, the Naga Morich is a small-medium shrub with large leaves, small, five-petaled flowers, and blisteringly hot fruit. It differs from the Bhut Jolokia and Bih Jolokia in that it is slightly smaller with a pimply ribbed texture as opposed to the smoother flesh of the other two varieties.
Distribution
The Naga is a species found in Bangladesh and Northeastern India, more specifically in Nagaland, Manipur and Assam.
They are also grown in the United States, United Kingdom (as subspecies Dorset Naga) and Australia for the production of hot sauces, and in Finland, where it is mainly sold fresh in supermarkets.
An American breeder Ed Currie used the Naga Morich to create the hybrid Carolina Reaper chili pepper cultivar in the race to grow the hottest chili pepper.
Culinary usage
The Naga Morich chili is extremely hot, but has a flavor that is quite unique. Like the Bhut Jolokia, it has a sweet and slightly tart flavor, followed by slight undertones of woody, smoky flavors. The chili is well suited for barbeque and grilling due to its unique spice flavor.
See also
- Ghost pepper, commonly known as "bhüt jolokia" which means 'Bhutanese pepper' in Assamese.
- Scoville scale, a measurement of the pungency ("spicy heat") of a chili pepper.
- Pungency
References
- "The Scoville Scale". Pepper Information. Chilipepper.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- Naga Mircha, 2023-11-19
- "Hottest Chili". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
