Hottest chilli pepper available in Dublin?

Dave!

Hey folks,

just wondering what's the hottest (!) chilli pepper you can buy in Dublin. I live in Tallaght, so as close to there as possible! How much are they, and what recipes have ye used them in?

And how do I stop the burning?

good intentions

Hey Dave,

Not too sure of the hottest you can buy in Dublin - but I would make an educated guess by saying Smithfield Market @ the weekend is probably your best bet. Plus it means ye can nip in on the Luas!

I have had some pretty hot chillis over the years. The unit of measurement for the heat in a chilli is called a scoville (sp?), and here is a summary of chillis by scoville - you can find it on Orphie G's emporium on ebay

0-100 Scoville Units Bell & Sweet Peppers
500-1,000 Scoville Units New Mexican Peppers
1,000-1,500 Scoville Units Espanola Peppers
1,000-2,000 Scoville Units Ancho & Padilla Peppers
1,000-2,500 Scoville Units Cascabel & Cherry Peppers
2,500-5,000 Scoville Units Jalapeno & Mirasol Peppers
5,000-15,000 Scoville Units Serrano Peppers
15,000-30,000 Scoville Units De Arbol Peppers
30,000-50,000 Scoville Units Cayenne & Tabasco Peppers
50,000-100,000 Scoville Units Chiltepin Peppers
100,000-350,000 Scoville Units Scotch Bonnet & Thai Peppers
200,000-300,000 Scoville Units Habanero Peppers
500,000-600,000 Scoville Units Red Savina – World’s Hottest!
Around 16,000,000 Scoville Units Pure Capsaicin

In terms of recipes - I have to say my favourite chilli recipe has to be the old classic, chilli con carne. Heston Blumenthal has a great recipe, but as with all of his recipes it takes about 10 hours to make. To be honest, I'm a fan of Jo Pratt's recipe from the nations favourite food http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/chilliconcarne_67875.shtml - I've made this loads of times and everyone loves it.

And how to get rid of the heat?? Well, it's been proven that sugar is the best way to get rid of Chilli burning. So a can of coke/fanta/7 up or whatever, or even if you eat some chocolate will help.

Also - good tip for you - if you add too much chilli into a dish you are making, you can counter the chilli by adding chocolote (not milk chocolate, dark chocolate like bournville/black magic/green & black/lindt)

Happy eating!

Mr Magnolia

^^ Great post!

Avoid drinking cold drinks when eating a very hot/spice dish. Warm drinks aid the consumption of hot food. I've heard tea recommended, personally I'd lean towards a nice red.

The Hill Billy

Dave - You could try some of the African food shops around Parnell Street. You may be able to lay your hands on some Scotch Bonnets there.

good intentions wrote: »

if you add too much chilli into a dish you are making, you can counter the chilli by adding chocolote (not milk chocolate, dark chocolate like bournville/black magic/green & black/lindt)

Great tip indeed. I generally grate in a few squares of chocolate when I'm making a chili. It mellows the heat while still giving you the spicyness/flavour of the chili.

rubadub

The food mall in liffey street (near the halpenny bridge northside) has/had a shop with loads of extra hot sauces, not sure if they sold peppers separately.

Extra hot is going to kill you unless you are used to it though. And I like to have lots of mild ones, lots will make it hot and you can visiually see them which is nice.

Even tabasco extra hot in any supermarkets is lethal.

Milk & cream can help cure the heat, it is meant to emulsify the chemical stuff, (caspian or something)

oblivious

rubadub wrote: »

Milk & cream can help cure the heat, it is meant to emulsify the chemical stuff, (caspian or something)

Yep, Capsaicin is a lipid and is soluble in other fat containing produces or alcohol

Capsaicin also works though the same receptors as THC, you might be pleasantly surprised to know

bonkey

oblivious wrote: »

Capsaicin also works though the same receptors as THC, you might be pleasantly surprised to know

THC binds to your pain receptors?

johnnyskeleton

good intentions wrote: »

100,000-350,000 Scoville Units Scotch Bonnet & Thai Peppers
200,000-300,000 Scoville Units Habanero Peppers
500,000-600,000 Scoville Units Red Savina – World’s Hottest!
Around 16,000,000 Scoville Units Pure Capsaicin

You can get habanero peppers in Dunnes. I bought some and my da, not knowing what kind of chilis they were, put a full one into a dish. No one could eat it.

According to wikipedia, there's a hotter pepper than the REd Savina the Naga Jolokia weighing in at up to 1,041,427 Scoville Units.

rockbeer

They usually have scotch bonnets in the Asia Market on Drury Street.

Yoghurt is also really good to counter excessive heat, for the same reasons as stated above, and lemon juice can help too.

Never tried that chocolate tip, must give it a go.

I always thought the brain had unique receptors to which thc and only thc bound? I always loved that idea, that we were designed to ingest it. How disappointing if it turns out not to be true after all these years

The Sweeper

I used to grow my own.

I grew jalapenos, habaneros and scotch bonnetts. By thai peppers, in that list, I assume they mean the little birdseye chilis - red and about an inch long, hot as hell but if you like hot food they're fantastic added whole to dishes (NB: I'm a maniac for hot chili, I'm not recommending anyone eat a plateful of whole birdseye chilis).

The standard "chilis" you buy in the supermarket, in red and green, about 2.5 inches long, with a slim, tapering shape, are usually a jalapeno variety. It's a big jump up, heat-wise, to a habanero or scotch bonnet from a jalapeno.

Additionally, always, always taste chili before you add it to your recipe. Chilis are an interesting plant to grow yourself, because they respond to 'distress' - if you over water them or underwater them, the plant wilts and puts more of its 'growing power' into its fruit - so the worse a gardiner you are, the hotter your chilis. (My brother gave a birdseye chili plant to his missus a few years ago and she forgot about it, and it only got watered once a week when he was up at the house and remembered to do it. By the time he harvested chilis from it, they were practically nuclear compared to the ones on my own plant, which had been lovingly tended in ideal conditions.)

Different chilis, different plants, different batches, different growing conditions: different heats. The seeds don't actaully make a dish hotter if you leave them in, but the membrane that holds the seeds to the flesh of the fruit does - so that white pith that clumps around the seeds - that's the hottest part of your chili. If you want to get a measure of heat, cut the chili and touch a cut piece to the tip of your tongue.

(I did that with a habanero from a plant I'd intentionally abused while it was fruiting about two years ago. Cut the chili. Started to cough - always a sign of heat - and then touched the cut piece to my tongue. Had to go have a bloody lie-down for a few minutes...)

oblivious

bonkey wrote: »

THC binds to your pain receptors?

vanilloid receptors

rubadub

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

I used to grow my own.

Thought you were going to talk of "THC plants"

And of course was your hands VERY well after touching chillis, touching your eye or any other "wet areas" will lead to extreme pain.

balon

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

I used to grow my own.

I often order seeds from www.pepperjoe.com - has a good selection of unusual varieties and always gives some free seeds. Fascinating to grow too although you need plenty of warmth - so not ideal climate here. Agreed also, stressed out plants do tend to bear hotter fruits

I've a bottle of homemade Chili Vodka at home with 12 orange scotch bonnets in it. It's been 'developing' for 2 1/2 years now. A capful will almost make you hallucinate. :p

BaZmO*

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

a plant I'd intentionally abused

Chilli fiddler!

Minder

balon wrote: »

A capful will almost make you hallucinate. :p

Reminds me of the Guatemalan Insanity Peppers that Homer eats at a chilli cook off. Simpsons gets trippy.

balon

Minder wrote: »

Reminds me of the Guatemalan Insanity Peppers that Homer eats at a chilli cook off. Simpsons gets trippy.

Spot on! a classic..

Blisterman

I had an 800,000 scoville sauce, when I was in New Orleans. Almost killed me.
It hurt just as much coming out, as going in, btw.

rockbeer

Is that where you got the name Blisterman?

Mr Magnolia

I had a chilli dip in paris once. It took my breath, I was speaking like Mutley for about half an hour. It was unnatural and came without a health warning. I wasn't impressed at all.

Laughing @ rockbeer