The Ghost Pepper is one of those next level chilis. Jalapenos and Serranos can kick up the heat, and Thai chilis and the Cayenne pepper will amp things up even more. The Habanero/Scotch Bonnet was once considered the top of the scale, but then people started learning about the Ghost Pepper which promised a journey straight into the inferno.
Also known as bhut jolokia, this chili originates from India and is one of the hottest in the world at over one million Scoville units. While in 1999 the Habanero was certified by Guinness World Records as the hottest chili, it was superseded in 2007 by the Ghost Pepper. Of course, that did not last long as bhut jolokia was surpassed by the Scorpion chili and then the Carolina Reaper. But the Ghost Pepper still ranks up there, bringing plenty of heat to anything which it is added.
The fresh Ghost Pepper has a fruity, berry flavor, though without any sweetness or tartness. Taste-wise it has some similarities to a Habanero but not nearly as floral or flavorful. If you are adding fresh Ghost Peppers to a dish, you will be adding mostly heat and not so much flavor. And a little bit will go a long way. But as a bonus, they add little in the way of calories. I consider these to be at the Insane Heat level, though I have had some that I would count as coming in only at the Fiery Heat level.
You will get more flavor from the dried version. Those have a raisiny taste with a bit of smokiness. Heat-wise, they can be hotter than the fresh ones, but I have encountered instances where they don’t pack as much punch. I use the dried ones if I want to bring in some smokey, peppery flavor along with the heat.
Ghost Peppers can be found in many stores, though I tend to find the dried version more often than the fresh ones. If you are looking for the fresh ones, I suggest Whole Foods, Sprouts, or a local farmer’s market. You can find the dried chilis pretty readily online as well.
Ghost Peppers can definitely be used in salsa, but make sure you are serving it to those who can handle the heat (I have a good Pepper salsa recipe here). A dried Ghost Pepper can kick up a batch of chili con carne, giving that little something extra in the taste department (and a nice jolt of heat). You can also make a darn good hot sauce with the dried chilis (watch for an upcoming recipe). The Ghost Pepper is really quite versatile, just understand that anything you add it to might be for chiliheads only.
Fun fact (or perhaps disturbing fact): The Ghost Pepper is known in Assam as bih zôlôkia which combines the words bih (meaning poison) and zôlôkia (meaning chili pepper). So they call it Poison Chili! Proceed with caution!
Tale of the Tape:
Serving Size: 1 Chili Pepper
Calories: 15
Fat: 0g
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 1g
Sodium: 0mg