Featured Image Credit: Associated Press
Topics: US News, Food and Drink, Weird
Katherine Sidnell
Many of us like a bit of spice, but how about the hottest pepper ever?
A Southern Carolina man, who grew the now infamous plant, has broken a world record by eating the stomach-churning vegetable.
Even those who are used to extreme heat might want to give this one a miss though, as creator Ed Currie was left 'groaning in pain' after sampling his own product.
Known only as Pepper X, it’s been dubbed the world’s hottest pepper by Guinness World Records on 9 October, with the spicy veg turning up the heat on the previous winner, the California Reaper - which he also invented.
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In fact, it pretty much scorched it's predecessor when you compare the peppers’ Scoville Heat Units.
To put it in context, a habanero will usually sit around 100,000 units, with the Carolina Reaper clocking in at 1.64 million units.
However, Pepper X, which is a crossbreed between a Reaper and a mystery pepper from a friend in Michigan, has burned its way to the top of the list and measures around 2.69 million units.
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It’s virtually a weapon at this point, with police pepper spray measuring around 1.6 million units, while most grizzlies can be seen off with bear spray which averages around 2.2m units, ABC 7 reports.
For those still eager to try the pepper, however, Currie has advised people that it delivers an ‘immediate, brutal heat’.
He also told ABC 7 that the effects left him in agony after eating an entire pepper.
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"I was feeling the heat for three-and-a-half hours. Then the cramps came," Currie revealed, adding: "Those cramps are horrible. I was laid out flat on a marble wall for approximately an hour in the rain, groaning in pain."
For those who didn’t pass high school chemistry, the burning sensation comes from capsaicin – which comes from the same family as arsenic.
Although it’s not as harmful, our brains still view it as a threat and give the burning signal to warn us of its presence.
Unsurprisingly, Currie is only one of five people to have eaten a whole Pepper X.
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However, he says that he’s built up a ‘tolerance’ to such heat after spending a decade working on Pepper X and previously, the California Reaper.
Ironically though, he’s struggled to reap the rewards from his creations with countless products using the Reaper without his consent - which is why Pepper X is a closely guarded secret.
In a press release, it was announced that Pepper X seeds and pods would not be sold - so the only way to see if you can handle the spice is through certain sauces.
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"Everybody else made their money off the Reaper. It's time for us to reap the benefits of the hard work I do," he said.
Here’s hoping he can roast the competition!