Bhut Jolokia Red

The ghost pepper, and the chilli that started the whole superhot era. In 2007 Guinness certified it as the hottest on earth and it became the first pepper scientifically verified above a million Scoville units. It held the record until 2011. Hotter things have been bred since, but this is the one that changed what people thought a chilli could do.

It comes from the hills of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur, where it is the king chilli. Bhut means ghost in Assamese, which is said to describe the way the heat arrives: slow, almost gentle, behind a fruity and faintly smoky flavour, and then climbing steadily into a sustained burn that catches out experienced chilli eaters. That delay is what makes it dangerous. The pods are slim and tapered, 6 to 8cm, with a dented papery skin that dries fast and grinds well.

It needs a greenhouse or polytunnel here. It is a long-season Capsicum chinense, slow to germinate and hungry for warmth, reaching about a metre and cropping heavily under glass. Finishing the last pods indoors under a light will save the tail of the crop. Wear gloves and eye protection when picking and processing the fruit.