Naga Morich
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source.(November 2022) |
| Naga Morich | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Heat |  Exceptionally hot |
| Scoville scale | SR: >800,000[1] SHU |
The Naga Morich is a chili pepper originally grown primarily in Bangladesh and Northeast India. It is also one of the hottest known chilli peppers and measures 800,000 SHU on Scoville scale. Morich is the word for chilli pepper in Bengali (মরিচ. (মৰিচ, moris), Nepali, Hindi (मिर्च) and the languages of Nagaland and Manipur. "Naga Mircha" is registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Nagaland by Government of India.[2]
Plant characteristics
The Naga Morich is a small-medium shrub with large leaves, with small five-petaled flowers, and blisteringly hot fruit. It differs from the Bhut Jolokia and Bih Jolokia, in that it is slightly smaller with a pimply ribbed texture as opposed to the smoother flesh of the other two varieties.
Distribution
The Naga is a species found in Bangladesh and Northeastern India, more specifically in Nagaland, Manipur and Assam.
They are also grown in the United States, United Kingdom (as subspecies Dorset Naga) and Australia for the production of hot sauces, and in Finland, where it is mainly sold fresh in supermarkets.
American breeder Ed Currie used the Naga Morich to create the hybrid Carolina Reaper chili pepper cultivar in the race to grow the hottest chili pepper.[3]
See also
- Ghost pepper, commonly known as "bhüt jolokia" which means 'Bhutanese pepper' in Assamese.
- Scoville scale, a measurement of the pungency ("spicy heat") of a chili pepper.
- Pungency
References
- ^"The Scoville Scale". Pepper Information. Chilipepper.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^Naga Mircha, 2023-11-19
- ^"Hottest Chili". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
