Sweet and Spicy

Chili peppers are cultivated around the world and come in a wide variety of colors, flavors, and spices. From tongue-torching hot to sweet and crisp, peppers are nutrient-rich vegetables. Varieties of these small, bright pods can really pack the heat. The spicy of the chili pepper is measured on the Scoville scale, with 0 SHU being flame free to 16,000,000 being pure capsaicin.

Check out our list of the hottest and most popular varieties:

Carolina Reaper

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Carolina Reaper is the hottest pepper in the world. Measuring at 1,569,300 SHU this pepper is a cross breed of the Pakistani Naga and the Red Habanero. This South Carolina native was created exclusively for its spicy heat, yet has a sweet somewhat fruity flavor.

Ghost Peppers

This Indian transplant’s heat sneaks up on you after your first bite. It was not until 2000 that this pepper made its way to the U.S. market. The Ghost Pepper is twice as hot as the Habanero and is most commonly used in wing sauces. In 2007 it was named the Guinness Book of World Records’ hottest chili pepper with 1,041,427 SHU.