When the natives of Assam return to cities across India for work or study after visiting their hometown, they are usually accompanied by bhut jolokia, kajinem (lemon), and bamboo shoots. Sometimes they are brought in as gifts for fellow Tohoku natives, and sometimes they are brought in as gifts for surprised colleagues. Among the three, Bhoot Jolokia is usually the hottest star. Why not? It once reigned as the hottest chili pepper in the world and is still one of the top five chili peppers. But bhut jolokia and naga mircha are losing both their pungency and unique flavour, and some people are sweating because of it.
Bhut Jolokia topped the Scoville Heat Index or Scoville Scale as the hottest chili pepper in the world in 2007. Also known as king chili or raja mirchi, the entrée was king style. It became the world’s first chili pepper to score 1 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU), a measure of spiciness.
As the word spread, so did the demand for Bhut Jolokia. People all over the world wanted to face that heat test, and an entire industry grew up around it.
Now, Bhut Jolokia’s fame appears to be its biggest enemy as farmers rush to profit from the demand, leading to a decline in its spiciness and loss of its unique aroma.
As the king chili faces an existential threat, people in northeastern India are worried as the chili is an important ingredient in indigenous cuisine. And some of them, like the Assam government, are working to preserve what made Bhutto Jolokia a popular kitchen star in the first place.
Ghost Pepper: Jo ding me boot dika de?
It is the same variety of chilli called bhut or bhot jolokia in Assam, Naga mircha or raja mircha in Nagaland, and U Molok in Manipur. King chili and ghost pepper are other names.
“They are all types of chili peppers, known for their extreme heat, and are commonly grown in northeastern India, especially in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur,” said agriculture expert Moussam Hazarika. told India Today Digital.
The soil and climate of these states are suitable for red chilies.
It is also known as ghost pepper, although it is a misconception that the name refers to “boot” (ghost). Jolokia means chili pepper in Assamese.
Utpal Borpujari, a national award-winning film director from Assam, says the correct spelling is ‘Bhot’, not ‘Bhut’.
“Bot means ‘from Bhutan’ in Assamese and all the famous Assamese dictionaries explain the name that way,” Borpujari told India Today Digital. “A misinterpretation by journalists in the ’90s gave rise to the name ‘boot/boot’, leading to the mistranslation as ‘ghost chili’,” he explains.
In fact, Assam’s agriculture and horticulture minister Atul Bora also spelled it as ‘Bhot’ while answering a question from India Today Digital.
“Bot Jolokia is a cultural symbol of Assam,” Bora said. “Locals use smoked or dried Bot Jolokia in traditional dishes to add a distinctive smokiness and spiciness to dishes such as bamboo shoot stew, pork curry, and traditional chutneys. ” he added.
Therefore, heat and aroma loss are a concern.
King Chili Empire expands around the world
“While traveling through Assam on food research, I noticed that while the production of these chillies is increasing, their spiciness and aroma seem to be decreasing,” says the celebrity chef. Atul Lakar told India Today Digital.
He uses bhut jolokia in pork and fish dishes and makes chilies in mustard oil the traditional way.
Larkar, who runs Heritage Kolikar restaurant in Guwahati, said he was concerned about the loss of “spicy and strong flavours”.
Although it has been used for centuries in northeastern India, mainland India and the world have only recently discovered bhut jolokia.
From pickles to sauces to chips, an entire industry has grown up around the bhut jolokia craze.
Consumption of Bhut Jolokia and its products has increased over the past six years, says Manjusha Barua, founder of ENE (East by Northeast) brand, which makes six types of ghost pepper sauce.
“When we launched ENE in 2017, there was almost zero awareness about Bhutto Jolokia. But now people are aware of it and that is why other companies are also created from Bhutto Jolokia. That is why we are launching various products,” Barua told India Today Digital.
ENE manufactures six varieties of Bhut Jolokia sauces, which are available across India through e-commerce platforms. “Now, brands like Nagin, Winggreen and Veeba are also using Bhut Jolokia,” says Barua.
Bhut Jolokia chilli puree is also used in the hotel and restaurant sector. “For our brand ENE, 50% of our business comes from this area,” says Barua.
In 2021, a consignment of Raja Mircha from Peren, Nagaland was exported to London via Guwahati for the first time.
Barua said large quantities of dried Bhut Jolokia pods are being exported to the United States and African countries.
Bhut Jolokia sauces, chips and noodles are becoming increasingly popular in India and abroad.
In July, 14 high school students in Tokyo were hospitalized after eating spicy potato chips made by Bhutto Jolokia.
Bhut Jolokia is used not only in food but also in self-defense sprays. In 2009, India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) announced plans to use Bhutto Jolokia grenades to remove terrorists from their hideouts and as a crowd control measure.
Why is it important to de-heat Bhut Jolokia?
While Raja Mircea is making waves, if his heat quotient, or USP, takes a hit, King Chile’s entire empire could collapse.
“The reduction in spiciness is likely to impact the market value and demand of Bhut Jolokia, as its reputation as one of the world’s hottest chillies is a key selling point,” said the Assam Seeds and Organic Certification Authority. said Moussam Hazarika, who was the director.
If chili pepper spiciness levels decline, farmers and traders could face challenges in maintaining premium prices.
“If the level of spiciness goes down, the importance of bhut jolokia will be lost and that is very worrying. Probably not,” Barua said.
Why is Ghost Pepper losing momentum?
Poor quality seeds, mass production that ignores all best practices, soil quality, overuse of fertilizers, and climate change are often the reasons behind the ghost pepper fever that haunts us.
“The degree of spiciness is regulated by temperature, rainfall and soil conditions, resulting in wide variations in spiciness levels,” says Assam state minister Atul Bora.
“Although Bot Jolokia is considered to be self-pollinating, high rates of cross-pollination have been observed, which may lead to genetic variation in the variety, resulting in loss of pungency,” he said. added.
Agriculture expert Hazarika said overharvesting and the use of unofficial seeds may also have led to a decline in chili pepper’s characteristic spiciness.
Imdad Ullah Khan, a farmer in Assam’s Jorhat district, keeps his ears and eyes on the ground. People are keeping the fever, so they go looking for his ghost pepper.
Mr. Khan, a vegetable farmer, believes that the reason for bhut jolokia’s loss of fervor is more than anything else the rush to profit.
“Farmers are in a hurry to get their crops to market, and to do so, large amounts of chemical fertilizers are used. This helps make the chili peppers bigger and more colorful, but it makes them lose their sharp taste,” says Janji. says a 57-year-old farmer. .
Khan said farmers in Assam usually plant ghost pepper seeds in August-September and saplings in October-November.
Fresh Bhut Jolokia reaches the market by March-April every year.
It is traded at around 800 rupees per kg, but the price gradually declines to around 600 rupees after that.
“I grow Bhut Jolokia organically and get 1-1.5 kg of chilli from one plant, whereas farmers who use chemicals only get 2-2.5 kg from one plant. “We are harvesting it,” said Khan, whose total annual production is about 100 kg.
Although Khan lost money, he saved his reputation.
“I have people who come to me over and over again and take me all over the country because of the spiciness of my chili,” Khan says. He makes a different claim. “The quality of Bhut Jolokia from the fields of Assam is superior to other hill crops despite its reduced spiciness.”
How can Naga Mircea maintain its sting?
Bhut Jolokia or Naga Mircha currently ranks 4th on the Scoville Heat Index, but its uniqueness is that it is an indigenous chili pepper and not a hybrid variety created for its spiciness. That’s it.
The thermal range of Bhut Jolokia is between 80,000 and over 1 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU).
Pepper X, which was crowned the world’s hottest chili pepper in 2023, has a SHU of 2.69 million. It replaced the Carolina Reaper, which had dominated the Scoville scale for 10 years. Both chili peppers were created by Ed Currie, a breeder in the US state of Carolina, to combat the heat.
Apart from spiciness, farmer Hazarika explains how the natural influence of local chili pepper Mem Jolokia gives Bhut Jolokia its unique taste.
“Our Bhut Jolokia is a chili pepper contributed by genes from Capsicum frutescens and Capsicum annuum. Our Mem Jolokia belongs to Capsicum frutescens and gives it its unique flavor. C. frutescens is our It has a genetic contribution to Bhut Jolokia, which gives it a similar unique flavor, “to Mem Jolokia,” he says.
The unique combination of flavor and heat is something you need to preserve.
Chef Lalkar, who has been involved in researching and promoting ethnic cuisine for 28 years, said, “There is no doubt that the time has come to focus on preserving the Bhut Jolokia pepper, which is our pride. The key is to use natural and organic farming methods.”
This is what farmers like Imdad Ullah Khan of Jorhat recognized and aimed for quality rather than quantity.
Research is also being conducted to provide farmers with the optimum Bhut Jolokia plant line that maintains the thermal index.
More than 500 hectares of land in Assam is being used to cultivate Bot Jolokia, according to the state’s Agriculture Minister Bora.
“Research is being carried out to study the effect of growing environment on spiciness level and develop pure lines to maintain varietal purity, i.e. spiciness,” Bora assured India Today Digital.
This indigenous king chili, called Bhut Jolokia, Naga Mircha or Umolok, proves that chili peppers have existed in India since ancient times and were not introduced by the Portuguese as is commonly believed.
The time has come to act to preserve the unique flavor and spiciness of Bhut Jolokia. Otherwise, the USP of the world’s hottest natural chili pepper will eventually become its nemesis through blatant commercialization. Long live King Chili!
