Vegetable growing » Pepper
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Kira Stoletova
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion (Trinidad Scorpion pepper) is a variety of chili. It received its name due to its place of birth and characteristic properties. His homeland is the Moruga region on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean Sea.
Characteristics of the Scorpio Trinidad pepper variety
Description and characteristics of the variety
Trinidad Scorpion Pepper, also known as Moruga or Trinidad Moruga Scorpio, Trinidad Flamboyant is an extremely hot variety. It was launched in Trinidad and Tobago in the Moruga region (Cuba). The variety is a type of chili. Its sharpness on the Scoville scale is about 1.46 million units. For comparison, a regular hot pepper used in cooking has about 3 thousand units. In 2012, Scorpio was included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Trinidad scorpion is grown with precautions. People work with it in protective suits, gas masks or thick masks, as well as thick gloves. When planting, it is necessary to limit its contact with other plants, especially sweet pepper varieties. The variety is perennial indoors, but can also be grown in open ground or film shelters. It is late-ripening - it takes about 150 days after germination to reach full maturity.
The bush is tall, 1-1.5 meters, with rounded, slightly corrugated leaves. The fruits are small, round in shape, very lumpy, covered with indentations, and have elongated noses. They reach 8-10 cm in length. The walls are no more than 2 mm. The aroma is floral and fruity with pronounced citrus notes. The taste of unripe fruits is not very hot; fruity notes can be discerned in it. Ripe peppers are extremely hot; eating them fresh can cause burns to the mucous membranes. The hottest part is the seeds, but gloves are also required when coming into contact with the walls.
Seeds of the variety can be harvested. Their germination rate decreases over the years. In the first year of storage, they germinate by 90%, and by the third year, germination drops to 40%.
The pulp of the fruit can be dried and seasonings can be prepared, which are used in minute quantities. Pieces are also added in small quantities to spicy dishes and preserves. In industry, pepper is used to extract the hot substance capsaicin. It is used to make pepper spray and coatings for ship bottoms that protect against shellfish.
Features of cultivation
In principle, growing this pepper is not much different from growing other hot varieties, and if you follow a few rules, you can easily get an excellent harvest of super-hot fruits.
- Peppers grow best in soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5, but can also grow in pH levels of 5.5 and 7.0. Plants need well-drained soil. If the pepper is growing in a container, drainage holes must be made in the bottom. Container volume - from 10 liters.
Important! The larger the container, the larger the plant will be.
- Trinidad Moruga Scorpio requires a minimum of six hours of sunlight per day and a minimum room temperature of 18°C.
Important! The more sun there is, the larger and pungent the fruits will be. If there is not enough sun, small fruits will set.
- It is necessary to water regularly and not allow the soil to dry out. It is advisable to mulch the ground.
- Fertilizing with mineral fertilizers should be carried out once a month, throughout the growing season.
- It is necessary to pinch the tips of the shoots to better stimulate fruit formation.
- If the flowers are not pollinated by insects, then it is advisable to shake the plant or pollinate the flowers with a brush.
- When picking ripe peppers, wear rubber gloves.
- You can grow this variety both in a greenhouse and on a windowsill.
- Trinidad Scorpio can be grown as a perennial crop. To do this, in the fall, all shoots are cut off, the main part of the roots is also cut off, and abundant watering is stopped. The pepper is placed in the shade. In February, they begin to water again and place the plant on the sunny side. Buds should appear in a few weeks.
Landing
The variety's seeds are not sold in gardening stores. When ordering them on specialized websites, you need to check the seller, since unscrupulous stores send out seeds of other, less spicy varieties.
Before sowing, the grains are soaked for germination. They are placed on damp cotton pads or cloth and placed in a warm place for a couple of days. Sow in common containers or individual containers, for example, peat tablets or pots.
When planting in peat tablets, you need to monitor the humidity. If the tablet dries out, the bushes quickly die.
Sowing is done in February or March, depending on the climate. Use nutritious universal soil or a special mixture for tomatoes and peppers. It is prepared from peat, sand and soil from the garden, adding a little ash and mineral fertilizers. Homemade soil is disinfected with boiling water or calcined in an oven.
After germination, the seedlings are provided with long-term good lighting using lamps. They are transplanted into the garden bed according to the scheme 40 by 40 or 40 by 60 cm.
Application
Scorpio peppers, like most chili peppers, are grown for further consumption:
- Fresh. Pepper has an extremely hot taste, so it can only be consumed fresh in limited quantities by adding it to salads.
- Using heat treatment. It is mainly added as a seasoning to all kinds of dishes and sauces. Under the influence of temperatures, the sharpness and bakedness of the fruit are reduced, while savory notes remain, which can add uniqueness to any dish, as well as a unique aroma.
- Conservation. It can be used for some types of salads for the winter, as well as pickles and pepper infusions.
Other uses are possible. Thus, in its homeland it is used in the military industry to make tear gas canisters. A special paint is made from capsaicin, which is used in shipbuilding. It is used to cover the bottoms of ships to prevent shellfish from sticking to them.
Growing and care
Agrotechnical measures for caring for this variety require a careful approach and regularity.
Sowing and planting
The seedlings are transferred into the holes along with a lump of earth. 50 g of compost or a little mineral fertilizer are added to the holes in advance. No need to go deep.
Peppers are grown in places inaccessible to children and pets so that they are not harmed.
Watering
The sharpness of the fruit depends on watering. In dry conditions they are extremely hot, and with frequent and abundant watering the pungency is reduced. You need to water it with warm water at the root early in the morning or in the evening.
Temperature
The variety prefers sunny places and temperatures of at least +15. In colder regions, they provide it with shelter or greenhouses.
Top dressing
Feed 3-4 times during the growing season. Before flowering, you can apply organic fertilizers (solutions of manure or chicken droppings). During flowering and fruiting, potassium and phosphorus are used. The interval between fertilizing is at least 2-3 weeks; the first can be applied at the seedling stage.
Care
Like all hot peppers, Moruga is picky about environmental conditions. It is necessary to provide it with well-fertilized, fertile soil and a warm, wind-protected landing site.
Sowing and planting
It is recommended to grow hot peppers from seedlings. If you plan to use a store-bought one, you should pay attention to the stem. It should not be too thin and not yellow. If you grow seedlings on your own, you should take care of purchasing seeds and preparing seedling equipment. Seeds are planted in February-March. It is transferred to open ground in May and planted at a distance of 40 cm from each other.
The soil for acute Trinidad should be well fertilized, preferably with well-rotted compost or special fertilizer at a dose of 50 g/1 sq. m. m, then dig it well, going 15-20 cm deep.
Watering
In hot conditions the pepper will be more spicy
The spiciness of Trinidad Moruga depends on the growing conditions. In dry and hot conditions, the hotness of pepper will be maximum and, conversely, in a temperate climate with constant watering, the hotness noticeably decreases and the taste of the fruit becomes apparent. Due to the small root system, the ability to obtain nutrients from deep layers is limited.
Temperature
This variety of pepper is a very heat-loving and light-loving plant. For proper development of the bush, the temperature should not be lower than 15°C, otherwise Scorpio will begin to shed its leaves and the plant’s nutrition will stop. It is responsive to sunny weather.
What is the Scoville Hotness Scale?
The Scoville scale is a measure of the heat of peppers, named after chemist Wilbur L. Scoville, who pioneered a way to measure the concentration of capsaicin.
Capsaicin is a chemical compound that gives the plant its pungent taste and also causes sensations of burning, pain and heat in the receptors.
To measure the concentration of this substance, a solution of pepper extract is diluted in sugar water. Then five experienced tasters taste the solution, and it is gradually diluted further until at least three out of five test participants no longer feel the burning sensation. Depending on the amount of dilution, the product is assigned a value in heat units on the Scoville scale (ESH) or SHU – Scoville Heat Unit.
For example: red chili has between 500 and 750 SHU, jalapeno has 8,000 – 23,000, and the most powerful US military pepper spray is 2 million SHU.
A Scoville rating of 0 means no heat.
This measurement method is very popular, but not entirely accurate because the sensitivity of the receptors in the mouth varies greatly among people.
To keep it simple, most companies use a number scale from 1 to 10 as an indicator of spiciness.
The hottest dishes with chili peppers
Those who like to dazzle their taste buds should still not start by eating fresh, unprocessed chili pods. World cuisine is rich in impressive dishes using this ingredient. Some of them are best viewed from afar to avoid stomach pain.
Hot Suicide Wings
You can try suicide hot wings in Chicago, where they are prepared by chef Robin Rosenberg. Before trying them, you will have to sign an agreement on voluntary tasting and subsequent absence of claims against the establishment. When preparing wings, use Habanero Red Savina - “Red Habanero Savina”.
Bollywood Burner
This lamb dish with traditional Indian curry sauce can be enjoyed in London. But for this you will have to make a special order and also give a receipt indicating sole responsibility for choosing such a spicy dish. “Bollywood Burner” has great heat, as Naga Morich (Dorset Naga) is added to the curry.
Mexican watermelon
This dish is prepared in Mexico, where all food is generously flavored with spicy seasonings. When preparing this dish, cut watermelon is poured with lemon or lime juice, sprinkled with chili and salt. This sounds unusual, but not for native Mexicans.
Couscous with lamb and vegetables
The basis of couscous is semolina; it is consumed in France, Africa, Algeria and Morocco. There are many varieties of this dish, but the spiciest one is combined with lamb. Most likely, this is done because of the specific taste of the meat.
Phaal - Indian sauce
A spicy traditional dish with a sauce made from 10 different types of peppers, served in India. There is also Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) - “Bhut Jolokia Ghost Pepper”, a hot variety of chili.
Shameful hot pot
"Shameful Hot Pot" - a dish with such an amazing name can be found in China. Its name is supposedly associated with a torture ritual. Restaurant guests are warned in advance about the hotness of food.
Kimchi - Korean sauerkraut
This traditional Korean dish is made from Chinese cabbage with hot spices and various vegetables. Garlic, onion, ginger and red chili pepper are added to the sourdough brine and left for some time. Served in Korean restaurants, but can also be prepared at home. It is considered a good remedy for treating colds.
Australian chili
Australian chili is not a separate dish, but a sauce that is recommended to be added in small quantities as a seasoning. The composition includes the same Naga Morich (Dorset Naga) - “Naga Morich”. But there were also two Australians who decided to try this hot mixture separately. Everything is fine with them, but the heroes did not risk going on such an experiment a second time.
Mama Africa
It is recommended that you only smell this South African sauce first, and then from afar. According to the Scoville scale, it is estimated at 22 thousand ECU. Add fruits and vegetables, green peppers, lemon juice, onions and garlic, and chili peppers. Spicy dried herbs - mint, coriander and oregano slightly soften the pungency of the mixture.
It also happens that the taster’s own capabilities are overestimated, and a dish with chili pepper causes physical discomfort. Under no circumstances should you try to get rid of the burning sensation in your mouth with liters of water. The only means to help cope with this are milk, sour cream, white bread and sugar. Restaurant waiters always keep them ready if the order includes dishes with the hottest red pepper in the world - chili.
The best varieties of hot peppers in open soil
When growing peppers in an outdoor garden, the plant's frost resistance, ease of care and seasonality are important. Harvesting begins in July and continues until October or the first frost. The fruits along with the stalk are not removed simultaneously, but gradually - as they ripen. The richness of taste is observed with the biological ripeness of hot pepper.
Adjika
A common variety of hot pepper that bears fruit 100-120 days after planting. The height of the bush reaches 0.5-1 m, the branches are fluffy and spreading. The length of the deep red fruits is 25 cm.
The plant does not need to be tied to a vertical support and bears fruit well for several years. The pods are cone-shaped, dense in consistency, deep red in color. The Adjika variety has a pleasant peppery aroma, the degree of spiciness is medium.
Dragon tongue
This is an early ripening variety of hot pepper, which ripens 110 days after planting the seedlings. Externally, it is a spreading bush 60-70 cm high with small green leaves and a fluffy crown, medium-sized fruits.
During a season, from 1 plant you can get up to a hundred red pods 10-12 cm long. The aroma is peppery, the taste is very pungent. This variety is easy to care for, but loves light and warmth and regular watering. Used in cooking for preservation.
Queen of Spades
A mid-season low-growing bush that reaches biological ripeness 100-115 days after sowing. The plant reaches 20-30 cm in height, has a rounded crown with small green leaves.
The length of ripe fruits is 10-12 cm, the shape is cone-shaped, weight is up to 15 g each. The taste is spicy with a pleasant sweetness. You can harvest in late summer or autumn (August-September), the bush produces up to 50 peppercorns per season.
For mother-in-law
This early-ripening variety provides a rich harvest and has a very hot, tart taste. The fruits ripen in 110-120 days from the moment of planting, reach 10-12 cm in length, gradually acquire a rich red color, and grow only upward.
The shrub itself is low - up to 50 cm in height, the crown is rounded, with small green leaves. During the season, you can collect up to 50 ripe fruits from 1 bush, it all depends on the rules for caring for pepper.
Bully
A mid-season variety that ripens in 110-120 days. The height of the bush does not exceed 70 cm, the leaves are green, medium-sized, wrinkled. As they ripen, the red fruits are directed downward and have the shape of a trunk.
From 1 square meter of garden you can collect up to 3 kg of ripe pods. The taste is tart, semi-sharp, and the aroma is weak. This variety is characterized by good adaptation to any climatic conditions and a rich harvest. Actively used in cooking and folk medicine.
Average ripening period
These varieties of hot peppers are resistant to temperature changes, have strong immunity, and produce high yields. Collection time: October until the first frost. The most popular culinary varieties with excellent taste are described below.
Cayenne red
What makes this variety distinctive is the variety of fruit shades. At the stage of biological ripeness, green, black, red, orange and yellow pods are found. Pepper grows better in the shade and does not like sudden changes in temperature and changes in humidity.
Ripe fruits acquire a deep red hue, reach 20 cm in length, weigh up to 30 g. The yield depends on the growing conditions, on average it is up to 3 kg per 1 square meter.
Astrakhansky 147
The period of full ripening is 122-148 days. Fruits are often grown outdoors and require regular fertilizing and weeding to increase yield. Pepper does not like heat, but does not bear fruit well in the shade.
The height of an adult bush is up to 70 cm, the length of the fruit is up to 10 cm, weight is up to 20 g, the color is deep red with a glossy surface. From 1 bush you can collect up to 3 kg of fresh pods. A distinctive feature of the variety is resistance to pests and preservation of taste when properly dried.
Ram's horn
Yellow pepper, which bears fruit equally in greenhouse conditions and in open ground. The height of an adult plant is up to 60 cm. The length of the pods is up to 35 cm, the weight is up to 30 cm. The long fruits are twisted in a spiral.
The period of complete biological ripeness occurs in 145-150 days. The fruits are medium sized, cone-shaped, medium dense. The yield indicator is up to 3 kg per square meter.
Cascabel pepper
The ripening period of this variety is 120 days. An adult shrub grows up to 50-70 cm in length, has spreading branches and a rounded crown with small, medium-sized fruits. When shaken, the pods produce a characteristic sound, like a rattle.
In appearance, peppercorns are dark, with a glossy surface. To taste – medium heat, tart and peppery. The Cascabel pepper variety is ideal for drying and is used in cooking.
Warning
What will it be like to eat a Carolina Ripper or another of the hottest peppers on this list, will it lead to a visit to the hospital or send you to the grave?
People's reactions to large amounts of capsaicin vary from person to person - while some may find it quite tasty, others will find the heat unbearable.
Here's what happens to your body when you taste hot peppers:
- As soon as you take a bite, you'll feel hot almost immediately without any real change in temperature.
- A signal is sent to the brain that you are too close to a heat source. Fluid begins to flow from the nose and eyes, along with heavy salivation.
- Then you start to sweat. This is the body's way of getting rid of excess fluid because the brain thinks you are in extreme heat.
Trinidad Scorpion CARDI
This variety is also grown in Trinidad and gets its name from the unique shape of the tip of the fruit, which resembles a scorpion's tail. Workers who breed this variety are forced to wear special protective suits and gas masks, because this pepper eats away the eyes and irritates the nasopharyngeal mucosa. Pepper is successfully used in shipbuilding - it is used to coat the bottom of the ship to protect it from sticking shellfish. The Trinidadian military uses the properties of this variety to produce tear gas.
Germination of seeds
It is advisable to plant the seeds at the end of January, then there is the option of full ripening of the fruits (the growing season ranges from 150 days). The seeds are placed in a cloth soaked in a solution of Epin (plant growth stimulant) and kept for several days. Then they are planted in a container with soil and covered with plastic film to create a greenhouse climate. The first shoots appear after 1 - 3 weeks. After the formation of five true leaves, the peppers dive. When picking, you should not injure the root system; it is advisable to remove the plant with a lump of earth.
The world's hottest hot pepper eating competition
Every year, popular eating competitions are held around the world, where participants have to go through several rounds of speed-eating increasingly hotter peppers.
They usually start off easy enough, with simple hot peppers like jalapenos that almost anyone can eat without serious side effects.
But the competition gets tougher with each round, and you'll soon find yourself eating flaming Bhut Jolokia and Naga Viper with Scoville scores averaging over 1 million.
And when you somehow make it to the final round, the remaining contestants will have to taste the Carolina Reaper in the final round - the hottest pepper in the world, with an average heat rating of 1,569,300.
If you love spicy food and believe you can handle the heat in a serious competition, challenge yourself and enter! Just keep a glass of milk at the ready.
What happens if you eat a very hot pepper?
Initially, the spiciness of peppers was determined to calculate the proportions of ingredients in dishes in order to achieve the ideal heat of food. In fact, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the hottest pepper in the world is used for various competitions, challenges, pranks and exciting videos. Sometimes eaters receive not only fame and views, but also damage to important organs.
In 2016, Jamaican native Wayne Algenio set a record for eating Carolina reaper fruit. In 60 seconds he ate Man Smashes Guinness World Record for Most Reaper Peppers Eaten in 60 Seconds 22 peppers. This did not cause any health problems for the man, although he promised never to repeat this peculiar feat again.
For another participant in similar competitions, everything ended worse. After the competition he received reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. An unusual cause of thunderclap headache after eating the hottest pepper in the world – “The Carolina Reaper”. Due to the narrowing of the arteries, the man suffered from pain in his head and neck. The syndrome went away over time, but the case interested the doctors.
Less hot peppers can also cause health problems. Naga Jolokia fruit (855–1,500 points) burned a hole in the esophagus of a 47-year-old man. He also took part in the competition, and he didn’t even eat pepper in its pure form, but a burger with a spicy additive.
Naga Viper Naga Viper
- Spicy: 900,000 – 1,382,118 Shu
- Taste: Sweet, Fruity
- What it looks like: from the Trinidad Scorpio pepper, Naga Viper borrowed a pointed tip, from the Ghost Pepper - an enlarged cone-shaped body covered with wrinkled skin. Reaches 4-6 cm in length.
2011 world champion in spiciness. The creator of this variety is the British Gerald Fowler. This breeder simply combined three of the hottest peppers - Naga Morich, Naga Jolokia and Trinidad Scorpio. I took the best from them and created the Naga Viper pepper. Viper - translated means “viper”, a snake whose bite is very long and very painful. Gerald Fowler wanted to create a chili whose heat comes on gradually and does not go away for a long time. And he succeeded in this: you will have time to catch the sweetness, fruity notes, citrus aroma before the powerful capsaicin rush hits you. How to use: The enhanced fruity aroma and heat make this chili ideal in hot sauces. It is also used in dried form as a seasoning for soups and main dishes. It is not recommended to eat this pepper raw. When interacting with it, you must take care of protective equipment (protective gloves). It must be used for food with great caution, fully aware that this is one of the hottest peppers in the world.
