Naga Morich
Unripe Naga Jolokia (Naga Morich) chilis
Heat Exceptionally hot
Scoville scaleSR: >1,000,000[1] SHU

The Naga Morich is a chili pepper grown in Northeast India and Bangladesh. There is no consensus on whether this is synonymous with the Bhut Jolokia, or a different variety. It is also one of the hottest known chilli peppers and the only naturally occurring chili pepper that measures 1 million SHU on Scoville scale. Morich is the word for chilli pepper in Bengali (মরিচ), with similar words in Assamese: (মৰিচ) (moris), Nepali, Hindi (मिर्च) and the languages of Nagaland and Manipur. Naga Mircha is registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Nagaland by Government of India.[2]

Plant characteristics

Like many varieties of the Chinense species, the Naga Morich is a small-medium shrub with large leaves, small, five-petaled flowers, and blisteringly hot fruit. It differs to the Bhut Jolokia and Bih Jolokia in that it is slightly smaller with a pimply ribbed texture as opposed to the smoother flesh of the other two varieties.

Distribution

The Naga is a naturally occurring species in North East India, more specifically in Nagaland, Manipur and Assam.

They are also grown in the United States, United Kingdom (as subspecies Dorset Naga) and Australia for the production of hot sauces, and in Finland, where it is mainly sold fresh in supermarkets.

Culinary usage

The Naga Morich chili is extremely hot, but has a flavor that is quite unique. Like the Bhut Jolokia (ghost pepper), it has a sweet and slightly tart flavor, followed by slight undertones of woody, smoky flavors. The chili is well suited for BBQ and grilling due to its unique flavor profile.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Scoville Scale". Pepper Information. Chilipepper.com. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Naga Mircha, 2023-11-19
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