What Is The Hottest Pepper In The World?

By Austin Harvey | Edited By Jaclyn Anglis

Published January 17, 2024

Updated May 5, 2025

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.

author

A staff writer for All That's Interesting since 2022, Austin Harvey has also had work published with Discover Magazine, Giddy, and Lucid, covering topics including history, and sociology. He has published more than 1,000 pieces, largely covering modern history and archaeology. He is a co-host of the History Uncovered podcast as well as a co-host and founder of the Conspiracy Realists podcast. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Point Park University. He is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

editor

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Jaclyn Anglis is the senior managing editor at All That's Interesting, where she has worked since 2019. She holds a Master's degree in journalism from the City University of New York and a dual Bachelor's degree in English writing and history from DePauw University. In a career that spans 11 years, she has also worked with the New York Daily News, Bustle, and Bauer Xcel Media. Her interests include American history, true crime, modern history, and science.

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Harvey, Austin. "The 7 Hottest Peppers In The World, From Pepper X To Naga Viper." AllThatsInteresting.com, January 17, 2024, https://allthatsinteresting.com/hottest-pepper-in-the-world. Accessed July 20, 2025.