Бхут джолокія

Ghost pepper (Capsicum chinense 'Bhut Jolokia', also called naga jolokia, ghost chili, U-morok) is a hybrid chili native to northeast India (Assam, Nagaland, Manipur) and Bangladesh. The fruit is wrinkled, deep red, around 6–8 cm long, and famous for its intense heat: certified by Guinness World Records as the hottest chili pepper from 2007 to 2011, with measurements typically in the 800,000 to 1,041,000 SHU range [A]. It was succeeded as world's hottest by Trinidad Scorpion (2011), Carolina Reaper (2013), and Pepper X (2023).

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Chemistry

As with all Capsicum, the heat is capsaicin (CAS 404-86-4) and dihydrocapsaicin. The aroma profile, separable from the heat, carries the floral-fruity tropical character of the C. chinense group — closer to habanero than to bell pepper. Capsaicin is not volatile at room temperature; ghost pepper does not 'smell hot' but burns on contact. Ghost pepper has no fine-fragrance presence — capsaicin would be an irritant at any meaningful perfumery concentration.

Sources & Notes

[A] Guinness World Records — Bhut Jolokia certified hottest chili 2007–2011 (~800,000–1,041,000 SHU). Succeeded by Trinidad Scorpion, then Carolina Reaper, then Pepper X.