King Chilli From Nagaland Exported to London; Here's What PM Modi said about Bhoot Jolokia

One of the hottest chillies in the world, Bhoot Jolokia was formally exported all the way from Nagaland to London for the first time. The consignment was sourced from Tening, Peren district in Nagaland and was packed at the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in Guwahati for its onward journey.

Also referred to as King Chilli, Bhoot Jolokia is considered as one of the world’s hottest chilli based on the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs). Prime Minister Narendra Modi was evidently happy with the major boost to exports of Geographical Indications (GI) commodities from the north-eastern region. On Twitter, he wrote, “Wonderful news. Only those who have eaten the Bhoot Jolokia will know how spicy it is.”

https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1420405764267651076

Bhoot Jolokia, also referred to as Raja Mirchi, got its GI certification in 2008. It has an elongated shape of 60 to 85 mm and a wrinkled skin. The spiciness of the chilli is 1,041,427 SHU. Bhoot Jolokia, however, is not the hottest chilli in the world. Carolina Reaper with spiciness at 1,569,300 on average SHU was declared the hottest chili pepper in the world by the Guinness World Records in 2017.

Bhoot Jolokia is an interspecific hybrid chili pepper grown in Northeast India. The term bhoot literally translates to ghost. In Assam, chilli is known as jolokia. The chilli’s name denotes its extreme spiciness and heat. It is referred to as Naga morich in Bangladesh. It has also been named the Tezpur chili after the Assamese city, Tezpur. The chilli is called umorok in Manipur.

Similar to Naga jolokia, grown in Nagaland, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

Unlike most peppers, Bhoot Jolokia produces capsaicin in vesicles present in the placenta around the seeds and also throughout the fruit, compared to others where it is usually found just in the placenta. The chilli has many uses especially in local food preparations, mainly momos. Bhoot Jolokia is also known for its medical properties. Used as food and spice in both fresh and dried forms, it is commonly used in a combination with pork or fermented or dried fish.

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