Indias Chilli hotter than Mexico's

September 4, 2000
Web posted at: 1:20 PM EDT (1720 GMT)
GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) -- The hottest chilli on earth is Indian.
Four Indian scientists have discovered that a type of chilli grown in the country's northeast has the highest Scoville units of pure capsaicin -- a measure of hotness.
Called the Tezpur chilli, after the area where it is grown, scientists say the pepper has beaten Mexico's Red Savina Habanero, widely acclaimed as the hottest chilli in the world.
Tezpur lies on the banks of the river Brahmaputra about 112 miles (180 km) from Guwahati, the main city of Assam, which is better known for its flavorsome tea than its chillies.
"The Tezpur chilli was rated having 855,000 Scoville units... the Mexican chilli contained 557,000 Scoville units of pure capsaicin," one of the scientists, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.
The scientists work in defense laboratories in Guwahati and Gwalior.
The Scoville scale is named after German scientist Wilbur Scoville, the first to measure the heat component in chillies.
India is the world's top producer of chillies, exporting an estimated 35 tons a year.