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Ghost pepper
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Close-up of ripe red ghost pepper fruits (Capsicum chinense) growing on a green leafy plant.
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Also called:
bhut jolokia
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Close-up of ripe red ghost pepper fruits (Capsicum chinense) growing on a green leafy plant.
Ghost peppers A ghost pepper typically grows up to 8 cm (3 inches) in length. It ripens from green to red, and its skin is wrinkled and pocked.

Ghost pepper

cultivar, Capsicum chinense
Also known as: bhut jolokia
Written by
Melissa Petruzzello
Melissa Petruzzello (she/her) is Assistant Managing Editor and covers plants, algae, fungi, insects, spiders, renewable energy and environmental engineering. She also handles certain topics in Christianity,...
Melissa Petruzzello
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Ghost pepper, (Capsicum chinense), small-fruited pepper in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), one of the hottest chili peppers in the world. The ghost pepper is a cultivar of Capsicum chinense, as are spicy Scotch bonnet and habanero peppers.

Taxonomy

See also list of plants in the family Solanaceae and list of herbs and spices.

The ghost pepper has an average of about 1 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU) on the Scoville scale, compared to a jalapeño with around 8,000 SHU or a habanero with up to 350,000 SHU. It was formally recognized as the world’s hottest chili pepper in 2007, though it was later superseded by the Carolina Reaper (with up to 2.2 million SHU) and other ultra spicy peppers.

The ghost pepper fruit is up to 8 cm (3 inches) in length, with a slight taper, and ripens from green to red. The texture of the skin is wrinkled and pocked. Given its superlative strength, the ghost pepper is not widely used in cooking, but it can be used fresh or as a spice made by drying and grinding the fruits. Like other chili peppers, it derives its piquant flavor from capsaicin and other capsaicinoids.

Melissa Petruzzello