Pepper X, developed by PuckerButt Pepper Co., has officially been named the world's hottest chili pepper, dethroning the Carolina Reaper. With a rating of 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units, Pepper X emits an immediate and brutal heat. The pepper has an earthy flavor and was crossbred with a Carolina Reaper and a pepper from Michigan. Pepper X was unveiled on the YouTube talk show "Hot Ones," where its intense burn and lingering effects were experienced. The creator, Ed Currie, hopes to use his inventions to help people with chronic pain.
A Brazilian woman, Thais Medeiros, is still hospitalized six months after sniffing a super spicy chili pepper, which caused severe brain swelling. The incident occurred while she was helping her boyfriend cook dinner, and she fell ill with an itchy throat before being rushed to the hospital. Tests revealed an allergic reaction to the pepper, resulting in brain edema. Thais spent several days in a coma and has since experienced complications, including a high fever and bronchospasm. She is currently unable to speak or walk, and doctors are concerned about her ability to resume normal activities due to neurological problems caused by oxygen deprivation.
A shortage of chili peppers used to make Sriracha, one of the most popular hot sauces in the world, has caused prices to skyrocket. The shortage, which began during the Covid-19 pandemic and has been ongoing for the past three years due to severe weather conditions, has affected Huy Fong Inc., one of the largest producers. Prices for bottles of Sriracha have reached as high as $29.99 for a 28-ounce bottle, leading some enthusiasts to take bottles from local restaurants. Limited production has resumed, but full production remains uncertain due to the ongoing shortage of raw materials.
Rare fossilized chili peppers, Lycianthoides calycina, have been discovered in the Green River Formation in northwestern Colorado and southwestern Wyoming, pushing back the emergence of the chili pepper to at least 50 million years ago in North America. The discovery also sheds new light on the evolutionary timeline of tomato plants, which belong to the same nightshade family Solanaceae. The fossilized peppers may have been dispersed by fruit-eating birds, but the exact method of their arrival in North America remains unclear.
