The Naga Morich is a chili pepper originally grown in India and Bangladesh. There is no consensus on whether this is synonymous with the Bhut Jolokia, or a different variety. It is also one of the hottest known chilli peppers and the only naturally occurring chili pepper that measures 1 million SHU on Scoville scale. Morich is the word for chilli pepper in Bengali (মরিচ), with similar words in Assamese: (মৰিচ) (moris), Nepali, Hindi (मिर्च) and the languages of Nagaland and Manipur. Naga Morich is registered under the Geographical Indications (GI) of Nagaland by Government of India.[2]
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 to 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.
The Naga Morich chili is extremely hot, but has a flavor that is quite unique.[clarification needed] 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.[citation needed]
See also
Scoville scale, a measurement of the pungency ("spicy heat") of a chili pepper.