The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion: The Caribbean Pepper That’s Stinging Hot
Wikimedia CommonsIn 2012, New Mexico State University’s Chile Pepper Institute claimed that the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion pepper was the hottest pepper in the world — but it’s not an official record holder.
Created by Wahid Ogeer of Trinidad, the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion was once in the running for the hottest pepper in the world.
According to a 2012 CBS News report, experts at New Mexico State University’s Chile Pepper Institute claimed that the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion was poised to take the world record for the spiciest chili.
Though the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion’s mean heat measured just over 1.2 million SHUs — less than the 2011 record holder Naga Viper — fruits from some of the plants were said to reach up to 2 million SHUs.
While it’s unlikely this pepper would hold a record today, especially with the recent introduction of the fiery Pepper X, the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is still sought after by hot pepper enthusiasts who want to feel the burn.
“You take a bite. It doesn’t seem so bad, and then it builds and it builds and it builds. So it is quite nasty,” Paul Bosland, the former director of the Chile Pepper Institute, said of the Caribbean chili.
