Scoville Scale and Chili Peppers

Become a Better Cook! This Just Maika Cooking: Cook’s Notebook section will focus on everything related to the Scoville Scale and Chili Peppers connected to all my recipe posts, updated frequently.

Jalapeno Mammoth from my Garden

Table of Contents

Jump to:

• What is the Scoville Scale?
• Is the Carolina Reaper Really the Hottest Pepper?
• Scoville Scale (Average SHU Range) with Place of Origin/Popularity
• Popular Chili Pepper Pairings
• Sound Like Chili Peppers but Are Not
• Pepper Pastes with SHU
• What Helps Relief Chili Pepper Heat from Spicy Foods?
• What is Your Favorite Hot Sauce?  I Can't Live without Spicy Food!
• Cook's Notebook: Become a Better Cook!
• Spicy Recipes
• Leave a Comment or Ask a Question

What is the Scoville Scale?

It's a popular scale used to measure a chili pepper's heat level. The higher the number on the Scoville scale, the hotter.  It's on a scale because the pepper's heat falls under a particular range.  The chilies get their heat from the capsaicin, responsible for the irritation, pain, or burning sensation you may feel.  

All spicy peppers have a certain concentration of capsaicin—hence the use of SHU, Scoville Heat Units, to determine where it falls on the scale. So let's give Scientist Wilbur Scoville, an American pharmacist, a shout-out for creating this method's birth in 1912.  The Scoville Scale below shows the Carolina Reaper as the hottest chili pepper.

Is the Carolina Reaper Really the Hottest Pepper?

There are many hotter peppers, but the hottest pepper consumed is the Caroline Reaper. On September 17, 2022, a brave man named Gregory Foster ate 10 of these bad boys in 33.15 seconds.  

Another guy, Mike Jack, ate 50 in 6.49 seconds on November 5, 2022.  Both are in the Guinness World Records.  Two of the many peppers hotter than the Caroline Reaper are the Komodo Dragon 1, 400,000 to 2,200,000 SHU, and Pepper X, with 3,1800,000 SHU.

Macho Pepper from my Garden

Scoville Scale (Average SHU Range) with Place of Origin/Popularity

SHU	Pepper Name	Origin	Recipes
2,000,000	Carolina Reaper Pepper	South Carolina, United States
750,000-1,5,000	Trinidad Moruga Scorpion	Moruga, Rinanadad and Tabago
	Naga Viper Pepper	Cumbria, England
	Infinity Chili	Grantham, Lincolnshire, England
	Bhut Jolokia / Naga Jolokia, aka Ghost Pepper	Northeast India: Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland
350,000–750,000	Red Savina Habanero	California, United States
100,000–350,000	Habanero Chili	North of South America in the Amazon	Creamy Spicy Sweet Potato Chicken and Dumplings
100,000–350,000	Scotch Bonnet Pepper	West Africa	Scotch Bonnet Smoked Turkey Collard Greens Beans Soup
	Macho Pepper	Oaxaca and Yucatan Region of Mexico
60,000–100,000	Malagueta Pepper	Brazil
50,000–100,000	Bird's Chili, aka Thai Chili Pepper	South East Asia
30,000–50,000	Tabasco Pepper	Mexico
30,000–50,000	Cayenne Pepper	Cayenne, French Guiana	Butternut Squash Chicken Chili
30,000–50,000	Crushed Red Pepper, Cayenne Type		Spicy Basil Pesto
25,000–50,000	Aji Amarillo	Peru
25,000–50,000	Calabrian Chili Peppers	Calabria	Easy Spicy Calabrian Italian Chicken Sausage Bolognese
15,000–30,000	Chile de Arbol	Mexico
10,000–25,000	Serrano Pepper	Puebla and Hidalgo, Mexico
10,000	Aleppo Pepper	Aleppo, Syria	Easy Aleppo Pepper Spiced Dill Lentil Chicken Soup
10,000	Chongyang Chili Pepper	South Korea
2,500–10,000	Jalapeño peppers / Chipotle	Mexico	Jalapeno Pesto and Argentinian Shrimp Pasta
2,500–5,000	Guajillo Chili	Mexico
1,000–5,000	Baklouti Pepper	Tunisia
1,000–2,500	Poblano Pepper / Ancho	Puebla, Mexico
500–1,000	Cubanelle	Caribbean: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Peurto Rico, and Italy
500–1,000	Beaver Dam Pepper	Wisconsin, United States
0–500	Pimiento	South America
50–200	Shishito Peppers	Japanese	Shishito Eggplant Shrimp Stir-Fry
1–1,000	Medusa Peppers	South America
0	Bell Pepper / Paprika	Central and South America
0	Peperone Crusco	Basilicata, Italy

Medusa Pepper Plant in my Garden.

Popular Chili Pepper Pairings

With Global Cusines in the United States: Explore the vibrant world of chili peppers and their perfect pairings with global cuisines in the United States. This section jumps into the unique flavors and culinary traditions of various regions, highlighting how different chili peppers can elevate and complement dishes from around the world.

Why the United States? The phrase "in the United States" emphasizes that the chili pepper pairings are explored from the perspective of someone in the U.S., as culinary preferences and ingredient availability can vary significantly in other parts of the world.

Aleppo Pepper	Meditterean and North African Cuisine
Bird's Chili aka Thai Chili Pepper	South East Asian Cuisine
Habanero Peppers	Caribbean Cuisine
Jalapeño peppers	Very Versatile
Serrano Pepper	East African, Indian, and Mexican Cuisine
Scotch Bonnet Pepper	West African and Caribbean Cuisine

My easy-to-read chart showcases popular chili peppers and the regional cuisines they enhance, offering you a guide to adding bold and exciting flavors to your cooking. Discover new ways to use your favorite peppers and uncover fresh combinations that will transform your cooking into a global culinary adventure.

Whether you're looking to spice up a Mexican-inspired meal, add a kick to an Asian stir-fry, or bring warmth to a Mediterranean dish, you'll find inspiration here.

Maika

Picked Medusa and Macho Peppers from my Garden. Mostly, Medusa is on the left, and Macho is on the right.

Sound Like Chili Peppers but Are Not

These papers actually are berries and, therefore, do not have Scoville units since they do not have capsaicin. 

• Sansho Pepper (Japanese) / Chopi Pepper (Korean) - Citrusy Tingling Heat
• Tellicherry Pepper aka Black Pepper (Native to South Asia) - Pungent Kick of Heat
• Szechuan Pepper (Chinese) - Tingling Heat

Unripe Medusa Peppers in My Garden

Pepper Pastes with SHU

Pepper Paste	Chili Pepper	SHU
Sambal Olek	Commonly Red Chili Peppers, Bird's Eye Chili	50,000–100,000
Gochujang	Cheongyang	10,000–25,000
Chipotle in Adobo	Chipotle (Dried Jalapenos)	2,500–8,000
Zhug / Shug / S'kug	Unsure, but serrano and jalapenos are commonly used	2,000-8,000
Harissa	Baklouti Pepper	1,000-5,000

Ripe (red) and Unripe (green) Macho Peppers in my Garden.

What Helps Relief Chili Pepper Heat from Spicy Foods?

Some say to drink a glass of milk or sour cream or eat yogurt, probably due to their acidic component.  Other acidic foods to help with relief can be lemons and tomatoes. Different ways can be using a sweetener like sugar, water, or honey.  

Another way is through fatty foods like olive oil or peanut butter. Avoid using water. Water is actually an aid for the heat since it is the component causing the burning sensation. Capsaicin is oil-based; it doesn't do anything but make it worse by spreading around your mouth—and you don't want that!  

However, in the long run, if you enjoy spicy foods, eating them more often can help your body tolerate the heat intensity, and that tongue burn won't be quite so noticeable.

Haitian Habanero Pepper Sauce by Men Pa’w

What is Your Favorite Hot Sauce?  I Can't Live without Spicy Food!

I can finish half a bottle of Cholula Hot Sauce on tacos.  Submerge my wings in Frank Red Hot Sauce.  Dab my boiled eggs with Tobasco.  I can't eat my pollo a la plancha with black bean sauce and rice without a good habanero sauce.  And I will not use one of the sauces with a different meal.  Good peppers combine sweetness and smokiness, making them unique and perfect for certain dishes.

Cook's Notebook: Become a Better Cook!

What else do you want to learn about today?

Spicy Recipes

Are you looking for spicy recipes? Check these out:

Leave a Comment or Ask a Question

I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, or experiences with the Scoville Scale and Chili Peppers—leave a comment or question and get a response from a professionally trained chef!