Everyone likes a little heat in their food now and then. Most of us tend to stick to things like red pepper flakes or sriracha, but there are some that go full throttle when it comes to the hot stuff. If the latter sounds more your speed, these are some of the hottest peppers in the world. They’re measured using Scoville Heat Units (SHU) and they’re pretty hot. You have been warned.
California Reaper—2,200,000 SHU
With a name inspired by the Grim Reaper, you know this chili is going to be intense! Although it has been described as having a fruit taste and actually sweet at first, the California Reaper soon turns into molten lava. The pepper was bred in a greenhouse in South Carolina by Ed Currie and in 2017 it was named the hottest in the world by Guinness World Records.
Trinidad Scorpion Butch T—1,463,700 SHU
The tip of the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T resembles the tail of a scorpion, but we consider it as a reminder that these peppers sting! Indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago, it is believed that the fierce heat of the chili is a result of the soil being fertilized by the liquid runoff of a worm farm.
Dragon’s Breath—2,480,000 SHU
This pepper has the potential to go fully “dracarys”! Cultivated in Wales by Mike Smith, it was named after the Welsh dragon that appears on the country’s flag. When the Dragon’s Breath appeared at the Chelsea Flower Show, it had to be displayed in a sealed container.
