So, I've been wondering, for a few years actually, what are the "original" superhots? As far as I can surmise the Jolokias and Scorpions were found growing and not bred, possibly the 7 Pot too?
-
If you need help identifying a pepper, disease, or plant issue, please post in Identification.
First Supers
- Thread starter BrendanPicante
- Start date
If we use 1 million SHUs to designate a "superhot" I believe you're correct, So God Made the World's Hottest Pepper. The reason I used that article is two-fold, the Chile Pepper Institute Home Page has some great information about it, NM State/CPI - Heat, and it mentions the Red Savina, often thought of as the 1st "superhot", and in that Wikipedia article it mentions the exaggerated SHU claim (There could have been 1 that broke 1/2 million.) and talks about "average" which is the better way to verify heat level IMO.
`
And this is exactly what my post is about, Naga Morich and the quest for the world's hottest pepper, how do you define a "superhot". My two thoughts are 1. A definitive level of SHUs and 2. An average of the peppers SHU as determined by HPLC so an accurate level is determined.
`
`
`Chilidude said:
And this is exactly what my post is about, Naga Morich and the quest for the world's hottest pepper, how do you define a "superhot". My two thoughts are 1. A definitive level of SHUs and 2. An average of the peppers SHU as determined by HPLC so an accurate level is determined.
`
I suppose I could clarify. Yes, I mean the ones that have the Million Plus designation. Now, I know some tests have seen Bhuts as low as 800k, and a guy I talked to at Southwest Biolabs has had a batch of Reapers under a million, but for this post we can just use the generally accepted term "Million Plus" regardless of these exceptions.
Somewhere on THP, there's a thread hypothesizing that Superhots were "born" in Trinidad/Tobago, and that British Empire colonial-era workers moving between India/Nagaland had brought examples of a New World proto-Super back to Asia, giving rise to chiles like the Naga Morich and Bhut Jolokia. The whole thing seemed plausible to me, but it is one of those things that week probably never know for sure.
I'm pretty much fascinated with the old, landrace-y Supers, such as Bhuts, Nagas, Sevens, and Scorpions. Of course, these have become the basis for a dizzying array of recent cultivars, most of which are also interesting... But there's something magical about the ones that were developed for love of heat, rather than profit, in a time before nerds like me could read and write about them on the interwebs.
I grew Naga Morich last year. There's something awesome about the more "primitive" varieties that really kickstarts my imagination.
I'm pretty much fascinated with the old, landrace-y Supers, such as Bhuts, Nagas, Sevens, and Scorpions. Of course, these have become the basis for a dizzying array of recent cultivars, most of which are also interesting... But there's something magical about the ones that were developed for love of heat, rather than profit, in a time before nerds like me could read and write about them on the interwebs.
I grew Naga Morich last year. There's something awesome about the more "primitive" varieties that really kickstarts my imagination.
I agree whole heartedly. The maniacal level of crosses is daunting and while I have grown plenty, it's the nice pure ones that have my interest now.
Nobody knows for sure but I believe that Trinidad created the original super hot and that Ghosts/Bhuts are definitely hybrids. You can almost see that they mixed in a Moruga type with a long pointy Indian Pepper at one point. I think the rounder brainstain style pods are closer to the original superhot. Even Trinidad has their own hybrid style peppers with varieties like the Douglah. This belief is why I often breed and grow towards rounder golf ball style crinkled pods. Now when and what these were bred for..who knows. Must've been an amazing golden period in horticulture that we have yet to equal.
When they were "discovered" could be well after they existed. Much like America 
but I digress 
but I digress 
Jase4224 said:
According to CPI, genetic testing of Bhut Jolokia showed 3 genetic markers specific to capsicum frutescens, but also showed a 0.79 similarity with capsicum chinense, which makes it a chinense with some frutescens genes. (a totally pure chinense would have shown a value of 1.00)
Frutescens varieties are also cultivated in in northeastern India, so maybe it was a result of bees cross-pollinating them at some point in the past.
Absolutely. There is no doubt in my mind that the various Trinidad Supers are cultivars, but they were almost definitely developed by the indigenous ppl of Trinidad/Tobago for many generations before the Brits and other Europeans became aware of them.... And before the indentured workers and others from India brought them back to Asia from Trinidad, if that is, in fact, how the Bhuts and Nagas originated. Nerds like us, we never knew about Seven Pots and Scorpions until fairly recently, as in, post-2000. Meanwhile, they probably existed in some form for more than a century before that...The Hot Pepper said:When they were "discovered" could be well after they existed. Much like America
Whatever. I guess I first heard about them in late 2015, didn't eat any til summer 2016, started growing them in 2017, and here I am now, growing even more in 2018.
At any rate, ain't no one alive ever discovered or invented hot peppers. We all owe so much to the ancient growers who really got this ball rolling, as well as our contemporary growers with more experience. In the end, we all have a tiny part to play in Earth's Chili Chronicles. I hope to one day give a much help as I've received, but given the huge role played by farmers long since departed, that seems highly unlikely.