15rows
5columns
52views
0downloads
Source:Community curated
Updated:3/7/2026
15/15
Pepper↕ | Origin↕ | Scoville Heat Units (SHU)↕ | Flavor Profile↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jalapeño | Xalapa, Mexico | 2,500-8,000 SHU | Bright, grassy, mild heat | World's most popular chili, first pepper in space (1982 shuttle mission), smoked version is chipotle, nacho topping king |
Habanero | Amazon basin / Yucatán, Mexico | 100,000-350,000 SHU | Fruity, citrusy, intense heat | Held world's hottest record until 2007, Scotch Bonnet's cousin, essential in Yucatecan cuisine, lantern-shaped pods |
Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia) | Northeast India (Assam) | 855,000-1,041,427 SHU | Smoky, sweet, then devastating heat | First pepper to exceed 1 million SHU, Guinness record 2007, Indian military weaponized it as a smoke bomb, delayed heat onset |
Carolina Reaper | Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA | 1,400,000-2,200,000 SHU | Sweet fruity start, then apocalyptic burn | Current Guinness World Record hottest pepper, bred by 'Smokin' Ed Currie, distinctive scorpion tail, YouTube challenge videos |
Serrano | Mountains of Puebla/Hidalgo, Mexico | 10,000-23,000 SHU | Crisp, bright, clean heat | Eaten raw more than any other chili, essential in pico de gallo and salsa verde, thinner walls mean less roasting, workhorse of Mexican kitchens |
Cayenne | French Guiana (Cayenne city) | 30,000-50,000 SHU | Neutral, pure heat, slightly earthy | Dried and ground into the red powder in every spice rack, used in traditional medicine, Tabasco sauce ingredient, the default 'hot pepper' |
Scotch Bonnet | Caribbean | 100,000-350,000 SHU | Sweet, fruity, tropical, very hot | Essential in jerk seasoning and Caribbean cuisine, named for resemblance to a tam o'shanter hat, slightly sweeter than its habanero cousin |
Thai Bird's Eye (Prik Khi Nu) | Thailand / Southeast Asia | 50,000-100,000 SHU | Sharp, peppery, immediate burn | Tiny but ferocious, backbone of Thai, Vietnamese, and Malaysian cooking, red and green varieties, grows pointing skyward on the plant |
Poblano | Puebla, Mexico | 1,000-2,000 SHU | Rich, earthy, mild, slightly sweet | Chile rellenos are stuffed poblanos, dried version is called ancho, dark green and wide-shouldered, mildest of the Mexican big five |
Anaheim | New Mexico, USA (via Anaheim, CA) | 500-2,500 SHU | Mild, slightly sweet, tangy | Hatch chile variant, New Mexico's state question is 'red or green?', roasted and peeled in bulk every fall, mild enough for stuffing |
Trinidad Moruga Scorpion | Moruga, Trinidad and Tobago | 1,200,000-2,009,231 SHU | Fruity sweetness before extreme heat | Briefly held the world's hottest record (2012), golf-ball sized pods, from a tiny fishing village, Scorpion tail tip at the bottom |
Chipotle (dried smoked Jalapeño) | Mexico | 2,500-8,000 SHU | Smoky, chocolatey, medium heat | Just a smoked and dried jalapeño, name from Nahuatl 'chilpoctli,' adobo sauce staple, gave its name to a massive restaurant chain |
Tabasco Pepper | Tabasco, Mexico | 30,000-50,000 SHU | Vinegary, pungent, sharp heat | McIlhenny family's Tabasco sauce since 1868, aged in bourbon barrels on Avery Island, Louisiana, in every MRE and on every diner table |
Guajillo | Mexico | 2,500-5,000 SHU | Berry-like, tangy, mild-medium heat | Second most used dried chili in Mexican cuisine (after ancho), essential in mole and enchilada sauce, smooth dark red skin, subtle fruity complexity |
Pepper X | Fort Mill, South Carolina, USA | 2,693,000 SHU (2023) | Intensely hot with no discernible flavor at peak heat | Ed Currie's follow-up to the Carolina Reaper, current world record holder as of 2023, bred over 10 years, featured on Hot Ones Last Dab sauce |
Free to explore · No signup needed
Loading community rankings...
Related Datasets
More in Food & Drink
Ice Cream Brands
Häagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry's, Blue Bell — which ice cream brand makes the best scoop?
15 rows2 shared tags
Sandwich Types
The world's greatest sandwiches — stacked, pressed, and piled high.
20 rows2 shared tags
Air Fryers
Air Fryers (The Kitchen Revolution)
10 rows2 shared tags
Breweries in the USA
Directory of breweries across the United States with city, state, type, and website.
7,977 rows2 shared tags
Fast Food Chains
McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out — which fast food chain serves the best guilty pleasure?
15 rows2 shared tags
Fermented Foods
Kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, miso, tempeh — which ancient tradition of controlled decomposition has produced the most essential food, and whose contribution to human nutrition and flavor has done the most to prove that rot can be delicious?
15 rows2 shared tags