The World's Hottest Chili Pepper Ranking and a Roundup of Foods That Cool the Burn

Life has five flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty, and chili pepper claims the spicy one. We all know that people in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan and other places love eating chili peppers, and some people simply can't enjoy a meal without spice, liking them hotter and hotter. Here we introduce the world's hottest chili pepper ranking!

1. Why are chili peppers spicy?

Chili peppers contain capsaicin, an alkaloid containing vanillylamide that can bind to the vanilloid receptor subtype 1 of sensory neurons. What the VR1 receptor transmits once activated is a sensation of burning heat, so when you eat a chili pepper, what you feel is a scorching sensation.

An American scientist named Wilbur Scoville devised the unit for judging the pungency of chili peppers. This pungency standard was named the “Scoville scale”, with the unit being the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU). The higher the rating, the hotter the pepper.

2. The world's hottest chili pepper ranking!

First: Dragon's Breath chili

This is a chili developed jointly by researchers at the University of Nottingham in the UK and the farmer Mike Smith. Its pungency is 2,480,000 SHU, and it is the pepper in the latest Guinness World Record, surpassing the previous hottest pepper, the Carolina Reaper.

Second: Carolina Reaper chili

This was cultivated over 10 years by the American farmer Ed Currie. It is a pepper that could be called weapons-grade, with a pungency of 1,569,383-2,200,000 SHU. On November 14, 2013, it broke the Guinness World Record and became the world's hottest chili pepper.

Third: Trinidad Scorpion chili

This is a chili from the island of Trinidad, created by Butch DeWitt. It is orange-yellow in color, and the shape of its bottom resembles a scorpion's tail. Its pungency is 1,460,000 SHU, and it is the famous “former Guinness World Record” holder (2011).

Fourth: Naga Viper chili

This was crossbred from 3 of the hottest chili peppers known to humans. It once made it into the Guinness World Records, and its pungency is 1,382,118 SHU. One taste makes a person's tears pour like a spring, and it feels as if there is fire burning in the throat.

Fifth: Bhut Jolokia chili

This is a chili from Assam in northeastern India, and it has the reputation of being lethally hot. Its pungency is 1,041,427 SHU. It is used as a riot-control weapon by India's largest armed police force, and was once used to suppress riots in Kashmir.

Sixth: Yunnan Shuan Shuan La chili

This is a chili abundantly produced in Yunnan Province, China. Legend has it that simply swishing it once in water makes the whole basin of water spicy, hence the name Shuan Shuan La. Its pungency is 1,000,000 SHU, and just a sniff lets you feel its heat.

Seventh: Mexican Savina chili

Also called the ghost pepper, its pungency is 350,000-580,000 SHU. Even a small bite is unbearably hot, a small slice makes a person's nose run and tears flow, and eating a whole one is simply a severe assault on the sensory organs.

Eighth: Fujian Shenjiao No. 1 chili

This is a new chili variety bred specifically for Shaxian snacks by the Sanming City Agricultural Science Institute in Fujian Province at the end of 2010. Its pungency is 450,000 SHU, and after its successful development it was widely welcomed in the chili world.

Ninth: Habanero chili

This is a chili that comes from the Amazon River basin and later spread to the Mexico region. It usually grows 2 to 6 cm long, is green before ripening, and turns gorgeously vivid all at once when ripe. Its pungency is 100,000-350,000 SHU.

Tenth: Facing Heaven chili

Because its tail end grows pointing up toward the sky, it is called the Facing Heaven chili. When unripe it comes in colors such as green, white and purple, and when ripe it turns red, so it is also called the five-color chili. Its pungency is 50,000-100,000 SHU, and it is a must-have pepper for devoted spice eaters.

3. Which foods can cool the burn?

1. Room-temperature water: You can drink room-temperature water to ease the heat, whether you choose to swallow it or rinse your mouth, but it relieves the burn slowly, so it is best to keep rinsing your mouth.

2. Ice water: You can drink ice water, which can effectively reduce the burning sensation. Its effect is better than room-temperature water, but it irritates the stomach and intestines.

3. Alcohol: Because capsaicin can dissolve in alcohol, rinsing your mouth with edible alcohol or strong baijiu can achieve a heat-relieving effect.

4. Sweet foods: Sweet foods can relieve the heat. If you accidentally eat a lot, you can hold a mouthful of granulated sugar, which can immediately reduce the burning sensation in your mouth.

5. Milk: Milk contains a kind of casein that can effectively counter capsaicin, making it the most effective heat-relieving food of all.

The above is the world's hottest chili pepper ranking and an introduction to foods that can cool the burn. We hope it is useful to everyone.