7 Pot (Seven Pot) is a group of extremely hot chillies from Trinidad. Local lore says a single pod will spice seven pots of food, and in a 2011 New Mexico State University trial they averaged over a million SHU.
| Species | Capsicum chinense |
|---|---|
| Heat | mean 1,066,882 SHU (‚Trinidad 7-pot Jonah‘), 1,169,058 SHU (‚Douglah‘, chocolate form), NMSU 2011 |
| Origin | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Fruit | rough, pimpled, very variable in shape; the Jonah strain is larger and rounder |
| Flavour | fruity and nutty, like other Caribbean habanero types |
The name
The NMSU paper explains that the name alludes to folklore that the peppers are hot enough to spice seven pots of soup; Californian grower Jim Duffy, who supplied the seed for the trial, speaks of seven pots of stew. According to him, 7 Pots are grown in Trinidad in yards and on small farms rather than commercially.
Measuring the heat
In 2011 NMSU’s Chile Pepper Institute compared the five hottest known varieties in a replicated field trial; Paul Bosland and colleagues published the results in 2012:
| Variety | Mean (SHU) | Hottest plant (SHU) |
|---|---|---|
| Trinidad Moruga Scorpion | 1,207,764 | 2,009,231 |
| Douglah Trinidad Chocolate (Chocolate 7-Pot) | 1,169,058 | 1,853,936 |
| Trinidad 7-pot Jonah | 1,066,882 | 1,267,641 |
| Trinidad Scorpion | 1,029,271 | – |
| Bhut Jolokia | 1,019,687 | – |
Neither 7 Pot form differed significantly from Bhut Jolokia; only the Moruga Scorpion was significantly hotter. Individual plants varied widely: the mildest 7-pot Jonah plant measured 727,680 SHU, the hottest over 1.26 million.
Flavour and uses
Jim Duffy describes the 7 Pot as “more fruity and nutty, like other habanero types from the Caribbean”, and Bhut Jolokia as earthier. He recommends them for barbecue and hot sauces in small amounts, aiming for a mild to medium result.
Related
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion · Bhut Jolokia · 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)
- Fiery Foods & Barbecue (2010): The rare Trinidad 7 Pot superhot chile (Jim Duffy)
- Associated Press via Deseret News (2012): Chile experts: Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is hottest