Fiery food mavens seeking to one-up each other now have togear up for a whole new test of culinary bravado: the world's hottest chilipepper.
Yes, the Naga Viper, the latest claimant to theworld's-hottest-pepper crown, outdistances its predecessor, the Bhut Jolokia,or
"ghost chili," by more than300,000 points on the famous Scoville scale of tongue-scorching chili hotness.Researchers at Warwick University testing the Naga Viper found that it measures1,359,000 on the Scoville scale, which rates heat by tracking the presence of achemical compound. In comparison, most varieties of jalapeño peppers measure inthe 2,500 to 5,000 range -- milder than the Naga Viper by a factor of 270.
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You might think the Naga Viper would hail from some part ofthe world with a strong demand for spicy food, such as India or Mexico. But thenew pepper is actually the handiwork of Gerald Fowler, a British chili farmerand pub owner, who crossed three of the hottest peppers known to man --including the Bhut Jolokia -- to create his Frankenstein-monster chili.
"It's painful to eat," Fowler told the Daily Mail."It's hot enough to strip paint." Indeed, the Daily Mail reports thatdefense researchers are already investigating the pepper's potential uses as aweapon.
But Fowler -- who makes customers sign a waiver declaringthat they're of sound mind and body before trying a Naga Viper-based curry --insists that consuming the fiery chili does the body good.
"It numbs your tongue, then burns all the waydown," he told the paper. "It can last an hour, and you just don'twant to talk to anyone or do anything. But it's a marvelous endorphin rush. Itmakes you feel great."
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A member of the Clifton Chili Club -- a group of Brits whotravel around sampling chilis -- decided to try one of Fowler's Naga Vipers oncamera. You can watch his less-than-pleasurable experience here.
(Photo of Bhut Jolokia, the previous holder of the hottestpepper in the world title: AP/New Mexico State University)
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可以辣死人了
