Pepper X facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pepper X |
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|---|---|
| Species | Capsicum chinense |
| Breeder | Ed Currie |
| Origin | Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States |
| Heat |  Exceptionally hot |
| Scoville scale | On average: 2,693,000 SHU |
Pepper X is a special plant variety of chili pepper. In 2023, Guinness World Records named it the hottest pepper on Earth. An American chili pepper expert named Ed Currie created this super spicy fruit. Currie is also famous for breeding another fiery fruit called the Carolina Reaper.
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Discovering the Hottest Pepper in the World
Currie invented Pepper X in the town of Fort Mill, South Carolina. He made it by producing a mix of two different parent plants. He crossed the spicy Carolina Reaper with another mystery pepper sent by a friend. It took many years of careful farming to create this unique plant.
How Heat Is Measured on the Scoville Scale
Scientists measure how hot a pepper feels using Scoville heat units, or SHU. Pepper X reaches an incredible average score of 2.693 million SHU. This beat the old record of 1.64 million SHU held by the Carolina Reaper. For comparison, a normal jalapeño pepper usually scores only about 5,000 heat units.
Why Is Pepper X So Extra Spicy?
The fiery burn inside any chili pepper comes from a natural chemical called capsaicin. Many people believe that chili seeds make the spice, but they do not. Instead, plants make this chemical inside their inner tissue, called the placental tissue. This special tissue holds the seeds in place inside the pod.
Pepper X has a very bumpy, wrinkled shape with deep ridges. These unusual folds create a much larger surface area inside the pod. More room allows extra tissue to develop, which packs the fruit with capsaicin.
What Happens When Someone Eats It?
Eating a tiny bite of this pepper creates an intense burning feeling. When Currie tried eating a whole pepper, the spicy heat lasted for hours. His stomach also suffered painful muscle aches afterward. Because of this extreme heat, experts warn people never to try eating one for fun. Some scientists have noted that other laboratories should also test the pepper's record status.
See also
In Spanish: Pepper X para niños
