 |
Mexico's Spiciest Chilies
Don Birnam April 3, 2007PAGES: 1 2
See our slideshow of Mexican chilies.
So which chilies are the hottest, and how are they ranked?
Chilies’ hotness is judged by something called the Scoville Scale, established by a Detroit pharmacologist named Wilbur L. Scoville whose company, Parke Davis, used chilies in its Heet muscle salve.
Habanero: 300,000
Pequin: 50,000-100,000
Cayenne: 50,000
De Árbol: 15,000-30,000
Serrano: 10,000-23,000
Chipotle: 2,500-5,000
Guajillo: 2,500-5,000
Jalapeño: 2,500-5,000
Ancho: 1,000-5,000
Chilaca: 1,000-5,000
Poblano: 1,000-1,500
Scoville made an alcohol solution with various peppers diluted with sugar water and tested them on a panel of five volunteers. The numerical ratings were based on how the heat finally dissipated with the addition of more sugar water.
Thus, a pungency rating of 1,000 meant 1,000 units of water was needed to nullify the heat of an individual pepper. Later on, more high-tech methods were developed to rate pungency, but the use of the term Scoville units persists to this day.
The results depend on the individual samples, which may vary widely. But as you can see, the habanero is the spiciest chili on the market, by an order of magnitude. We recommend you handle that one with care. In our slideshow, you'll find a list of recommended restaurants in Mexico where you can enjoy some of these fine chilies in their appropriate contexts.
See our slideshow of Mexican chilies.
PAGES: 1 2
