GHANA'S HEATWAVE: A GUIDE TO HOTTEST PEPPERS

 If it's all about pepper, most people do not care about the types except cooks, chefs, and people to whom food matters. Pepper is one of the key ingredients in our daily lives, without it, taste will lack hotness and nausea may set in. A lot of dishes cannot be prepared or taken without this key ingredient. Here we shall take a look at the most common types of pepper in Ghana and their hotness as well as the dishes they are used in.

HOTNESS OF PEPPER IS MEASURED IN SCOVILLE HEAT UNITS

The hotness of pepper is measured in Scoville Heat Units, which determines the hotness or spiciness of the pepper. In simple terms, the higher the figure, the hotter the pepper. The noted range is 0 - 2,693,000 SHU (Scoville Heat Units) as of the time of this article.

We shall only look into the types of pepper that are common in Ghana and the types of meals or dishes they are mostly used in.

1. BELL PEPPER

With SHU of 0, it's often used with freshly eaten veggies in Ghana, "Served with salad or in stew, partially cooked."

Bell pepper

At times grown in Ghana locally, it is one of the pepper species that can be eaten raw due to it almost nil hotness. 

Associated Food in Ghana: Indomie, Fried Rice & Salad

2. CHEONGYANG CHILI

Cheongyang chili is also popular in Ghana, a bit hot with an SHU of 10,000 - 25, 000. It is mainly used for soups and raw-pepper meals. This pepper is a hybrid of two species cultivated as one from Korea. Cheongyang peppers are typically used fresh and are much smaller in length than cayenne peppers, the next species of pepper.

Cheongyang pepper

It is seasonal and cannot be found all year round. It is also mostly cultivated locally. It can be green or red when fully matured. 

Associated Food in Ghana: Soups, raw-pepper dishes

3. CAYENNE PEPPER

By far, the most dominating pepper species in Ghana until recent times, probably due to its longevity. This pepper is common and used all way around in Ghana except in some instances. It is often dried, and milled into powder as a preferred method before use. Cayenne has an SHU of 25,000 to 50,000.

Fresh Cayenne pepper

Cayenne is a general household ingredient in Ghana, it is used in almost all meals. It is often used in herbal medicines as it has proven potent in curing several ailments. (Cayenne can cure Stomach Ulcer if used properly)

Dried cayenne pepper

Aside from being the favorite species of pepper, its hotness is located mid-scale in the SCOLVILLE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM. Any pepper with a Scoville Heat Units (SHU) rating higher than cayenne species should be considered hot, while those with a lower rating can be considered not-hot. Probably this species is common due to how long it can be stored and used after its been dried properly. 

Associated Food in Ghana: Almost every meal except Salad and Veggie dishes. Eaten in raw-pepper dishes, taken with Kenkey, used in stews, etc.

4. HABANERO & SCOTCH BONNET PEPPER 

These species of pepper are usually referred to as "Kpakposhito" in Ghana. Attention is not paid to each species such that they are generalized with one name. Below are the varieties of Habanero and Scotch Bonnet, both of which range between 100,000 and 350,000 on the SHU scale.

Habanero pepper
https://www.myspicer.com

Scotch bonnet pepper
source:https://www.brooksidenurse

These pepper types are hot and not expected to be consumed by Stomach Ulcer patients or people suffering from similar health issues. They are often used to spice, garnish, or season dishes in Ghana. 

Associated Food in Ghana: Used to serve as a sauce with fried yam, potatoes (koliko), kenkey, stew, or soup.

5.TRINIDAD MORUGA SCORPION | NAGA VIPER | INFINITY CHILLI | GHOST PEPPER

All these families of pepper are extremely hot and can cause severe irritation when they come into direct contact with some parts of the skin or eyes. They are all common in the Ghanaian market. With an SHU of 750,000–1,500,000, caution must be taken when preparing meals with this pepper type.

Trinidad Moruga pepper
source:https://www.tradewindsfruit.com

Naga Viper pepper
source: https://www.amazon.co.uk

Infinity Chilli
source:https://rahiseedbank.com.au/shop

Ghost pepper
By Chella p - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110060101

Only one type of pepper is recognized to be hotter than the above species of pepper, and it holds the world record as the hottest pepper. Health matters most and if we look into what we take, we can prevent a lot of inconveniences that can lead to health-wise complications.

Unless under certain situations, most people can not stand these extremely hot peppers. The next time you prepare a meal, look into the kind of pepper you are using, the right pepper will make the right meal taste excellent, and it may prevent running stomach with burning sensations!