The ghost pepper, also known as bhut jolokia (lit. 'Bhutanese pepper' or 'ghost pepper' in Assamese) or naga jolokia, is a superhot chili pepper cultivated in Northeast India. In 2007, Guinness World Records certified that the ghost pepper was the world's hottest chili pepper, 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. The ghost chili is rated at more than one million Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) and far surpasses the amount of a habanero. However, the ghost chili has since been superseded by the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper in 2011, the Carolina Reaper in 2013 and Pepper X in 2023. Ghost pepper belongs to the species Capsicum chinense, but RAPD analysis indicates the presence of some genetic material from Capsicum frutescens from an introgression event, however, there is no indication that this is related to its exceptional heat.

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