Carolina Reaper Pepper

What is Carolina Reaper Pepper?

The Carolina reaper pepper is one that has gained a large reputation. With its rather big outlook and rosy red color, the pepper is listed as the hottest pepper in the world. When used in food, the best description for the Carolina reaper would be “extremely hot,” as not only does it provide a fiery taste, it immediately outlasts any other kind of chili. The Carolina reaper is an exceptionally hot pepper. It was certified as the world’s hottest chili pepper by the Guinness Book of record in august 2013 as a result of its fierceness. While they may have been other contenders like the Trinidad Scorpion and bhut jolokia which would easily come in second and third in terms of hotness, the reaper pepper undoubtedly takes the lead. The Carolina pepper chili has an appearance that makes it easy to identify. It is red and shriveled with a long pointy tail. It was declared the hottest pepper in the world after surpassing the previous record-holder; the Trinidad scorpion. Its heat is apparently depicted by its astronomical rating on the habanero Scoville scale. With 1,569,300 Scoville Heat Units recorded as its heat rating, the Carolina pepper Scoville rating is unmatched.

Bred in South Carolina by the proprietor of Puckerbutt pepper company "Smokie,” Ed Currie, the reaper pepper is a crossbreed of an intensely hot pepper called la Soufriere from the Caribbean island and pepper from Pakistan. This crossbreed resulted in a fruit that was described as fruity as it starts out sweet and immediately becomes insanely hot to the taste.  There have been a reported case of a contestant having to be hospitalized after eating the reaper pepper at a contest with the main symptoms being thunderclap headaches. Typically, two Carolina reaper pepper are large enough to fill up the palm and may not be your go-to choice for family cooking. As the world’s hottest chili pepper, it does require some level of care to cultivate. The Carolina pepper seeds do really well in temperatures between 18-200 C and are very high in capsaicin. The same compound that causes the molten lava effect.

How to use Carolina Reaper Pepper?

Usually incorporated as a sweet taste and strong heat, Carolina Reaper chile peppers are seen in hot sauces or salsas. Blended into sauces, the peppers may be used to flavor chicken wings, grilled meats, pasta, Asian noodle meals, chilis, stews, soups.

Carolina Reaper Pepper benefits:

While the heat emanating from the Carolina pepper may seem potentially harmful, there are actually quite a lot of health benefits that come from eating peppers with that heat level. These include;

◉ Improves digestive health: While they seem to be a lot of controversy surrounding whether or not people with ulcers should eat peppers,. Studies have shown that the capsaicin present in the peppers not only helps to act as an anti-irritant but can also boost overall digestive health. They also stimulate the production of gastric juices and saliva that help the digestion process, from peristalsis to the actual digestion.

◉ Lowers blood pressure: The Carolina pepper is high in capsaicin and other compounds that can help reduce lipid deposits and lower serum cholesterol. It also helps to dilate the blood vessel thereby aiding blood flow.

◉ Hot peppers such as the Carolina reaper have the capacity to mitigate migraines by desensitizing your body and lessening the overall pain.

◉ By creating thermogenesis, the Carolina reaper helps to speed up body metabolism and hasten the calorie-burning process. This makes it effective for weight loss and proper energy utilization. 

Where can I buy Carolina Reaper Pepper?

Buy Carolina Reaper Pepper from the health food store in the USA, Alive Herbals.

Carolina Reaper Pepper information (at a glance):