| Dragon's Breath | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Species | Capsicum chinense |
| Breeder | Neal Price |
| Origin | Denbighshire and Nottingham, United Kingdom |
| Heat |  Exceptionally hot |
| Scoville scale | 2,480,000[1] SHU |
Dragon's Breath is a chili pepper cultivar that unofficially tested at 2.48 million Scoville units.
Development[edit]
The plant was developed in a collaboration between chili farmer Neal Price, NPK Technology, and Nottingham Trent University during a test of a special plant food and for its essential oil having potential as a skin anesthetic.[2][3][4] The Dragon's Breath plant was later cultivated by breeder Mike Smith of St Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales, who said that he had not planned to breed the chili for record heat, but rather was trying to grow an attractive pepper plant.[5] Due to the nationality of the farmer who cultivated the pepper in Wales, it was named Dragon's Breath after the Welsh dragon.[6] It was entered in the Plant of the Year contest at the 2017 Chelsea Flower Show where it was on the short list, but did not place.[2][5][7]
Heat[edit]
The Dragon's Breath chili was unofficially tested[clarification needed] at 2.48 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU), making it a contender for the hottest chili pepper in the world.[3][4] As of October 2023, Guinness World Records has not recognized this claim, as the Carolina Reaper was still mentioned as the current record holder at the time the claim was made.[8] It has since been surpassed by Pepper X, having been measured at 2.69 million SHU on August 23, 2023.[9]
Nottingham Trent University researchers suggest that the pepper's ability to numb the skin could make its essential oil useful as an anaesthetic for patients who cannot tolerate other anaesthetics, or in countries where they are too expensive.[5][6] Experts at the university warned that swallowing one might cause death by choking or anaphylactic shock;[5][6] one science writer noted that this was a standard warning that applied only to those with relevant allergies.[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Geggel, Laura (19 May 2017). "Superhot 'Dragon's Breath' Chili Pepper Can Kill. Here's How". Live Science. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ a b "'World's hottest' chilli pepper grown in St Asaph". BBC News North East Wales. 17 May 2017.
- ^ a b Shanika Gunaratna (22 May 2017). "The hottest pepper in the world? Beware the 'Dragon's Breath'". CBS news.
- ^ a b c Jake Buehler (19 May 2017). "'World's Hottest Pepper' Will Have You Breathing Fire, But It Won't Kill You". Gizmodo.
- ^ a b c d Henry Bodkin (17 May 2017). "Hottest chilli pepper in the world accidentally created by Welsh farmer". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ a b c Marc Waddington (17 May 2017) [16 May 2017]. "St Asaph man develops weapons-grade chilli so hot it could KILL you". Daily Post.
- ^ "Plant of the Year". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ Ligaya Mishan (18 August 2022). "How the Chile Became Hot". New York Times. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
Carolina Reaper, known to reach as many as 2.2 million S.H.U.s — more potent than some pepper sprays — and certified by Guinness World Records as the hottest chile on earth.
- ^ "Pepper X dethrones Carolina Reaper as world's hottest chilli pepper". Guinness World Records. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
