Ghost

What is the scariest type of pepper? The Ghost Pepper (only because the “zombie pepper” and “student loan debt pepper” don’t exist - yet). Also known as the “bhut jolokia”, the Ghost Pepper was considered the hottest chili pepper until 2011 when the Scorpion stole its crown. Ghost peppers originate in India, where they are used in cooking to spice up curries and in homeland security to keep wild elephants at bay. We like to use ghost peppers to spice up just about everything, from hot sauce to x-hot salsa, wing sauce, BBQ sauce, ketchup, and pickles, though you could probably spread some LD50 around your house if you’re worried about a rogue elephant infestation.

How Hot is a Ghost Pepper?

Ghost peppers are among the hot pepper elite, coming in around a million Scoville Heat Units (855,000 - 1,041,427 SHU, to be exact). They’re so hot they’ve been featured in the Ghost Pepper Challenge where bold chili-heads attempt to eat an entire ghost pepper (while recording the excruciating results for our entertainment).