The cobra pepper is a very hot Indian pepper primarily used for pest control and self-defense. It can exceed one million Scoville units and is also known as ghost pepper or naga jolokia. It requires careful handling and can be used sparingly in cooking.
A cobra pepper is a cultivar of Indian pepper that has the dubious distinction of being one of the most famous peppers in the world. A single seed from a cobra pepper can cause extreme discomfort, and these peppers are primarily used for pest control, rather than actual food. They are also used in the production of a self defense incendiary spray which is used in some parts of India; cobra pepper spray can be intensely unpleasant and supposedly deters all but the most determined criminals.
This pepper has several alternative names. It is believed to be a cultivar of Capsicum frutescens, and is also sometimes known as ghost pepper in English. In India, cobra pepper is known as naga jolokia or naga morich. As the “cobra” suggests, the pods of these peppers look somewhat like snakes, when they become ripe they turn a deep red, with a rough skin.
Cobra peppers require a warm climate to grow, with well-drained, loose soil and full sun to partial shade. The heat of peppers can vary, depending on how they are grown, but cobra peppers can exceed one million Scoville units. For comparison, the popular habenero pepper covers about 200,000 Scoville units, while jalepeno peppers range from 3,000 to 8,000 Scoville units.
Technically, these peppers are perfectly edible, but they need to be handled with care because they are so hot. It is advisable to wear gloves while handling cobra peppers, because if the oil from the peppers gets on your skin, it can cause irritation. The oil can be extremely painful if it enters a wound or touches the mucous membranes lining the nose, mouth and eyes, making hand washing essential after dealing with cobra peppers, even with gloves on.
Cobra peppers are generally used sparingly in cooking, fresh or dried. In case someone takes a bite that turns out to be too hot to handle, eating something acidic can help reduce the heat from the peppers to make dinner more comfortable. Lemon or lime juice is ideal for this; while it can’t totally fix the pain, it can make it a little less severe.
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