The Naga Morich is a chili pepper originally grown primarily in Bangladesh and Northeast India. It is also one of the hottest known chilli peppers and measures 800,000 SHU on Scoville scale. is the word for chilli pepper in Bengali, with similar words in Assamese , Nepali, Hindi and the languages of Nagaland and Manipur. "Naga Mircha" is registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Nagaland by Government of India.

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 from 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 Bangladesh and Northeastern 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. An American breeder Ed Currie used the Naga Morich to create the hybrid Carolina Reaper chili pepper cultivar in the race to grow the hottest chili pepper.

Culinary usage

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