Pepper X is a
cultivar
A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
of
chili pepper
Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...
recognized by ''Guinness World Records'' in 2023 as the world's
hottest chili pepper.
[ It was bred by Ed Currie, the creator of the ]Carolina Reaper
The Carolina Reaper chili pepper is a cultivar of the ''Capsicum chinense'' plant. Developed by American breeder Ed Currie, the pepper is red and gnarled, with a bumpy texture and small pointed tail. It was the hottest chili pepper in the worl ...
.[
Pepper X is a ]crossbreed
A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though ...
of a Carolina Reaper
The Carolina Reaper chili pepper is a cultivar of the ''Capsicum chinense'' plant. Developed by American breeder Ed Currie, the pepper is red and gnarled, with a bumpy texture and small pointed tail. It was the hottest chili pepper in the worl ...
and a pepper sent to Currie by a friend.[ The curves and ridges of a Pepper X chili create more ]surface area
The surface area (symbol ''A'') of a solid object is a measure of the total area that the surface of the object occupies. The mathematical definition of surface area in the presence of curved surfaces is considerably more involved than the d ...
for its placenta
The placenta (: placentas or placentae) is a temporary embryonic and later fetal organ that begins developing from the blastocyst shortly after implantation. It plays critical roles in facilitating nutrient, gas, and waste exchange between ...
, the tissue that contains capsaicin
Capsaicin (8-methyl-''N''-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) (, rarely ) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus ''Capsicum''. It is a potent Irritation, irritant for Mammal, mammals, including humans, and produces ...
, to grow.[
Currie said that, when he ate a Pepper X chili, he "was feeling the heat for three and a half hours" and then experienced ]cramp
A cramp is a sudden, involuntary, painful skeletal muscle contraction or overshortening associated with electrical activity. While generally temporary and non-damaging, they can cause significant pain and a paralysis-like immobility of the aff ...
s that had him "laid out flat on a marble wall for approximately an hour in the rain, groaning in pain".[
Pepper X's heat status has been criticized, because independent testing of the pepper has not been performed.]
References
{{Capsicum cultivars
Chili peppers
Crops originating from the United States
Capsicum cultivars