If you’re averse to spicy foods, turn back now.
A U.K. plant grower claims he’s invented the world’s new hottest chili pepper, with a kick so strong it should never be eaten. Mike Smith’s Dragon’s Breath chili reportedly measures 2.48 million units on the Scoville heat scale, making it far spicier than the current official record-holder, the Carolina Reaper pepper, which measures an average of 1.57 million SHU.
Smith worked with professors at Nottingham Trent University to develop his pepper as a plant feed that helps plants ward off diseases, he told HuffPost.
Even though chilis this hot can cause health problems and death, he said people have tasted the Dragon’s Breath.
“We had a guy eat it this morning and survive,” Smith said. “It’s got a really freaky flavor to it. It’s very fruity but very, very hot. I realized it was too hot for me.”
The oil from Dragon’s Breath may possibly be used as a skin-numbing agent in people who are allergic to regular anesthetics, he added.
The university tested the pepper for its Scoville rating, and Smith is awaiting a verdict from Guinness World Records after submitting an application for the record. His request is indeed being processed, a spokeswoman confirmed.
Meanwhile, we’ll be waiting... from a safe distance.
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