The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is a chilli pepper from the island of Trinidad. In 2012 New Mexico State University’s Chile Pepper Institute (NMSU) measured it as the hottest variety in its trial, averaging more than 1.2 million SHU, and it became the first pepper with confirmed pods above 2 million SHU.
| Species | Capsicum chinense |
|---|---|
| Heat | mean 1,207,764 SHU, hottest plant 2,009,231 SHU (NMSU, 2012) |
| Origin | Trinidad (Trinidad and Tobago), named after the Moruga area |
| Fruit | red when ripe, heavily wrinkled, golf-ball sized |
| Flavour | fruity, a “sweet-hot combination” |
Origin
The pepper comes from Trinidad. The Trinidad Guardian credits a local farmer, Wahid Ogeer, with creating it; we found no other confirmation. A 2012 DNA analysis (RAPD markers) by the NMSU team confirmed that it is a distinct pepper and not a form of Bhut Jolokia.
The 2012 heat test
The Chile Pepper Institute in Las Cruces, New Mexico, led by Paul Bosland, grew the five hottest known varieties in a replicated field trial; seed for four of them came from San Diego grower Jim Duffy. Randomly picked mature pods were dried and ground and their capsaicinoid content measured in the lab. Results from the scientific paper (announced by NMSU on 13 February 2012):
| Variety | Mean heat (SHU) |
|---|---|
| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion | 1,207,764 |
| Douglah Trinidad Chocolate (Chocolate 7-Pot) | 1,169,058 |
| Trinidad 7-pot Jonah | 1,066,882 |
| Trinidad Scorpion | 1,029,271 |
| Bhut Jolokia | 1,019,687 |
Only the Moruga Scorpion was significantly hotter than Bhut Jolokia. Two of its plants exceeded 2 million SHU (the hottest at 2,009,231 SHU), which the paper describes as the first confirmed pods above that mark.
At the time Guinness World Records listed the Trinidad Scorpion “Butch T” (1,463,700 SHU, 2011) as the hottest. It was overtaken by the Carolina Reaper in 2013 and by today’s record holder, Pepper X, in 2023.
Flavour
Paul Bosland described the heat like this: “You take a bite. It doesn’t seem so bad, and then it builds and it builds. So it’s quite nasty.” Behind the heat is a fruity flavour that USA Today called a unique sweet-hot combination. Jim Duffy counts it among the most flavourful peppers he knows.
Uses
Because of its extreme heat it is used mainly in sauces, in small amounts. In 2012 it was already the base of “Sancto Scorpio”, a hot sauce by CaJohns Fiery Foods, and NMSU students developed a brownie mix with it.
A yellow-ripening form is sold as Moruga Yellow, but we found no reliable source on its origin. The yellow Moruga Scorpion is the heat behind all five Sakay sauces.
Related
Pepper X · Carolina Reaper · Habanero · Scoville scale
Sources
- Bosland P. W., Coon D., Reeves G. (2012): ‘Trinidad Moruga Scorpion’ Pepper Is the World’s Hottest Measured Chile Pepper at More Than Two Million Scoville Heat Units. HortTechnology 22(4): 534–538. doi:10.21273/HORTTECH.22.4.534, PDF (archived)
- NMSU News Center: press release of 13 Feb 2012 (archived)
- Associated Press via Deseret News: Chile experts: Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is hottest (2012)
- USA Today: Chile Pepper Institute studies what’s hot (2012, archived)
- Trinidad Guardian: article on Wahid Ogeer (2016)
- Guinness World Records: Carolina Reaper sets new record (2013)