Have You Got A Question About Chillies ? Check Our Chilli FAQs !

In this section we obviously intend to put the questions regarding chillies that crop up from time to time.

The list will be active and it's content determined by the frequency with which we receive various questions.

Have a look through the list - it's always good to learn something new !

• What Is The Hottest Chilli ?
• Can You Identify My Purple Chilli ?
• Where Can I Get Naga Jolokia Seeds ?
• What Is The Physiology Behind The Heat We Feel From Chillies ?
• Do you have any tips for raising chillies from seed? We are using commercial seed (Semenis Habanero)and SPS Caysan in a seed raising mix. Germination difficult and they fall over at around 25mm high. Also use our own mix of peat compost etc., but same result. Help please, if you can.
• Does the combining of alcohol with chilli affect the taste reaction of the tongue? Sometimes it feels as if the hottness of sweet chilli sauce is increased by having a beer or glass of wine?
• I would like to order some rarer types of chilli seeds from the US to grow in my garden in ACT. Can you recommend a reputable internet supplier ? I understand that chilli seeds mailed from overseas must be inspected by AQIS on arrival. Do you know whether the supplier named above, packages the seeds so that they can be easily identified as chilli seeds & the seeds conform to Australian regulations i.e will pass inspection by AQIS

Answer:

G'day Griffin

Earlier this year (2007) the big chilli news was the successful growing and analysis of the Bhut Jolokia chilli at the Chile Pepper Institute in New Mexico. This heat level of this amazing chilli was measured by High Performance Liquid Chromatography and came in at a whopping 1,001,304 Scoville Units ! You may remember us discussing this particular chilli (see newsletter ##) in reponse to readers questions about reports of the Naga Jolokia chilli in India being measured as the hottest in the world, eclipsing the previous record holder, the Red Savina habanero. At the time there was a significant amount of doubt surrounding the claim and the people concerned could not be contacted to answer questions. However, we have learnt that the Institute did manage to obtain some seeds and having cultivated them, performed the analysis under strict scientific conditions. It is worth considering that heat levels that high put them in the range of some of the extreme sauces that have distilled capsaicin added to them, such as Blairs MegaDeath and Daves Ultimate Insanity. Amazing. There will no doubt be a range of Bhut Jolokia sauces coming out in the near future. We'll keep you posted. Another chilli that may be a contender in the future is the chocolate habanero as many people have stated that, based on simple tasting only, they believe it is as hot as a Red Savina. As far as I know noone has tested this in the laboratory yet.

Cheers

Nigel

Troy Egan, Australia

Answer: G’day Troy

Thanks for your question. I need to ask you a little more about the plant before I can start to put together an accurate answer for you.

What shape are the fruit (tear-drop, long thin, habanero-shape, square-blocky….) ? Do the fruit hang down or do they point up like a Tabasco ?

Let me know and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Cheers

Nigel

Where can I get hold of some NAGA chili seeds. I am told these newly discovered chili are twice as hot as Habenero.

I think they are grown by the Naga tribesmen in Assam.

Pat Sexton, Queensland, Australia

Answer:

G'day Pat

I apologise for the delay. You would think it was an easy question, but that’s not the case.

The chilli you are asking about is called the Naga Jolokia, also known as the Tezpur chilli. That part is simple, but after that it gets complex.

You mention that you are after them due to their reported extreme heat levels. All the reports I have been able to find regarding their heat level all lead back to one report in August 2000 in the Current Science magazine, however, the article was extremely vague on the calibration of the measuring apparatus and the actual processes used. Noone has been able to replicate or confirm the results. Also, at 855,000 units, that means there is a chilli that is as powerful as many of the distilled concentrates produced by some sauce manufacturers. Not impossible, but fairly unlikely. If you want to learn more about the testing process, let me know, as it is very easy to manipulate the process to get the result you want.

The fuzzy photo in the article has lead a number of experts in the USA (predominantly Dr. Paul Bosland & Dave DeWitt) believe the fruit is a Capsicum chinense rather than the Capsicum frutescens it is reported to be. If that is the case then the chilli is more likely to be a Caribbean Red (specifically the Rica Red) habanero or some very similar variety.

So, given that the ‘Naga Jolokia’ is most likely a habanero relative, what are we left with? Is it possible that it is the hottest chile in the world? Possible, but highly unlikely. I think we have a faulty test and the only way to find out is to get samples and have them tested by a number of different laboratories. So far, a number of labs in the USA have volunteered to do the HPLC tests. It should also be pointed out that the 577,000 SHU rating of the ‘Red Savina’ has never been duplicated either, and tests by NMSU revealed that the hottest chile they tested was ‘Chocolate Habanero’, with ‘Red Savina’ in third place. So take these high results with a touch of skepticism.

So to finally answer your question; No, I have been unable to locate anywhere that sells Naga Jolokia seeds, in Australasia that are not red habanero seeds.

However, I can point you to a place that sells Caribbean Red habanero seeds. Simply go to my friends at www.fireworksfoods.com.au and follow the e-commerce shop links to the seeds page (we make no money or receive any other benefit out of this recommendation).

I hope that helps. Remember, if you want to learn more about the testing process, let me know.

Cheers

Nigel

Dale, Perth, Western Australia.

Answer:

Hi again Dale

Thanks for your question, it's certainly one that we get at chilli festivals and food & wine events that we're at.

This is not going to be a short, quick answer however as there a several points to present.

Firstly, there are a number of receptors in your taste buds and one of these is sensitive to capsaicin (the chemical in chillies which produce the heat/pain signals we get). Capsaicin produces these heat/pain signals by interacting with neuropeptides; incomplete proteins in the body that perform a number of different functions.

There are three well studied neuropeptides that interact with capsaicin and these are calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), neurokinin A (NKA), and substance P. Substance P is the primary agent for delivering the heat/pain signal to the brain. These neuropeptides are produced when the capsaicin sensitive nerves (or receptors) are stimulated by the presence of capsaicin. The neuropeptides transmit signals to the brain resulting in a physical reaction - pain is one of these results.

These capsaicin sensitive nerves can only produce neuropeptides at a certain rate. When the nerve is depleted, it is no longer able to send pain messages to the brain. This is one reason why people who eat a lot of chilli are able to stand a lot of heat. It’s essentially a process of acclimatising to capsaicin. The depletion of neuropeptides from the nerve is only temporary, ranging from a few minutes to a few days depending on the amount of capsaicin the nerves have been exposed to. If you want to be able to handle the really hot stuff, you need to regularly consume capsaicin.

The other reason that some people can stand a lot of heat is that each person has a different density (so many per cm2 )of taste buds on their tongue, and tests have shown that people that can stand a lot of chilli heat (and aren’t acclimatized as discussed above) have a very low density of tastebuds, i.e. they have a poor sense of taste compared to people with higher densities.

OK, enough science. From what you have told me, I would suggest you have a high density of taste buds on your tongue – which, to me, is a good thing. Being interested in food and having a poor sense of taste would be a tragedy. So, if you do want to get used to chillies, you need to start off relatively cool chilli products containing low levels of capsaicin and eat some 4-5 times a week, then slowly work your way up to hotter products till you get to the level you are happy at. This process should take in the order of 4-6 weeks. If you would like some product recommendations, let me know.

I hope that answers your question – all the best !

Nigel

Patricia, Queesnland, Australia

Answer: The symptoms you describe sound like a type of wilt (i.e. bacterial cause), however I’d like to rattle off a few points about preferable environments for chillies as something there may also be the cause and of course that is a lot easier to fix. If any of the below points ‘ring a bell’ with you, let me know and we’ll investigate those avenues first.

• Chillies plants are very sensitive to salt – and you mentioned you are using bore water. You want a soil salinity of less than 1920ppm
• Over watering of chillies can easily result in root disease (wilt being one), particularly in seedlings. After emergence, as roots grow into wet soil, irrigation may not be necessary for 3 weeks, then irrigation may be applied every 5-7 days, with longer periods during rain episodes and towards the end of the season to improve quality. Visually, irrigation should be scheduled when plants show wilting in the early afternoon
• Soaking of seeds in water for two days before planting can increase germination levels significantly. There are a number of chemical options but that is not going to suit you at all.
• Ideal soil pH for chillies is in the range 6.5 - 7.5
• I’m not sure if the 25cm seedlings have been transplanted at the point you experience the problem. Chillies need to be a rotated crop and should only be planted in the same soil every 3 or 4 years as the risk of various diseases increases dramatically without rotation.
• Good drainage is paramount due to the propensity for root diseases. Chillies prefer a well drained moisture holding loam or a sandy loam containing some organic matter.

Let me know if that provides any possible solutions. If not, we’ll get into some detailed disease descriptions and some photos.

Cheers Nigel

Michelle, New Zealand.

Answer:

Hi Michelle

Thanks for your question to chillies-down-under.com

Chillies can most definitely be grown all year round in a hothouse. All chillies are perennial and with any luck you may even get fruit throughout the cooler season. Here in Perth we sometime take our favourite chilli plants out of the ground at the end of summer and put them in a put and keep them indoors over the cooler months – they don’t fruit but they do quite well otherwise. That may sound a little obsessive, but older chilli plants are better producers than younger plants.

I hope that helps you.

Cheers

Nigel

Does the combining of alcohol with chilli affect the taste reaction of the tongue? Sometimes it feels as if the hottness of sweet chilli sauce is increased by having a beer or glass of wine?

Shane, New South Wales, Australia

Answer:

G’day Shane

Good question.

Yes, alcohol will affect the way your mouth feels the capsaicin.

Capsaicin dissolves in alcohol, which means alcohol will take capsaicin away from your mouth. However, you need a significant amount of alcohol for this to occur. Beer and wine are only about 5% and 12% respectively so there is not a lot of alcohol there. What happens in that case is that the non-alcohol component of your drink simply moves the capsaicin around your mouth and thereby makes it feel hotter.

If you want to remove the capsaicin from your mouth, you need a neat spirit with an alcohol content of 37% or higher, swish it round your mouth, and spit it out. It’s not as much fun that way, but it will greatly decrease the effect of capsaicin on your body if you’ve gone over your tolerance limit.

I hope that answers your question fully.

Cheers

Nigel

Hi Nigel,

Can you answer 2 questions for me please.

-I would like to order some rarer types of chilli seeds from the US to grow in my garden in ACT. Can you recommend a reputable internet supplier

- If you are able to anser the above question,I understand that chilli seeds mailed from overseas must be inspected by AQIS on arrival. Do you know whether the supplier named above, packages the seeds so that they can be easily identified as chilli seeds & the seeds conform to Australian regulations i.e will pass inspection by AQIS

Al, Australia

Answer:

Hi Al

I've contacted a couple of suppliers in the USA for you. Here are there replies;

Nigel, we do ship to Australia and have for many years. We have had problems with customs once. If it is a big order they seem to take a closer look than the smaller orders. Fiery regards, Pepper Joe www.pepperjoe.com

Nigel, I have a lot of customers down under. The packages usually are opened by your customs people, but they do get through.

Dave Anderson TLCC http://www.tough-love.com

Cheers

Nigel