GUWAHATI: The hottest chili on earth is Indian. Four Indian
scientists have discovered that a type of chili grown in the
country's North-east has the highest Scoville units of pure
capsaicin, a measure of hotness.

Called the Tezpur chili, named after the area where it is grown,
scientists say the pepper has beaten Mexico's Red Savina
Habanero, widely acclaimed as the hottest chili in the world. 

Tezpur lies on the banks of the river Brahmaputra about 
180 km (112 miles) from Guwahati, the main city of Assam, 
which is better known for its tea than its chilis. 

"The Tezpur chili was rated having 855,000 Scoville units... the
Mexican chili contained 557,000 Scoville units of pure capsaicin,"
one of the scientists said.

The scientists work in defense laboratories in Guwahati and
Gwalior. 

The Scoville scale is named after German scientist Wilbur
Scoville, the first to measure the heat component in chillis. 

India is the world's top producer of chillis, exporting an estimated
35 tons a year. (Reuters)