119 | Naga Hot Chili/Naga Morich

Origin of Naga Hot Chili/Naga Morich

Naga Hot Chili/Naga Morich also known as snake chili pepper, this chili pepper is native to northeastern India and the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. It is a very hot chili pepper with a unique flavor. Genetically, the snake pepper is closely related to the ghost pepper (Butt Jolokia) and the Dorset Naga. Similar to Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper), it is sweet and slightly sour, followed by a light hint of woody, smoky flavor.

Recipe

Traditionally, Bangladeshi people add the spiciness of this chili to their dishes by slicing one of his unripe green chili peppers and rubbing it into the dish while it is being cooked.

Characteristics

Thin-walled, wrinkled pods show great variation in shape, but are usually wedge-shaped with three compartments, averaging about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. Approximately 120 days after transplanting, the plants will grow from dark green to yellow/orange to bright red, tall and bushy.

Use in Bengali cuisine

It is rarely used in Bengali cuisine and is believed to have originated in northern Bangladesh.

Why is Naga Morich is so hot?

Plants belonging to Capsicum species have 5 compounds that make it hot. These compounds are responsible for the spiciness of chili peppers of the capsicum.

To list, they are

• Capsaicin
• Dihydro-Capsaicin
• Nor-Dihydro-Capsaicin
• Homo-Capsaicin
• Homo-Hydro-Capsaicin

Capsaicin and Dihydro-Capsaicin is found more than 80% in chili peppers. But Capsaicin  is the main responsible factor of hotness in a chili pepper. Bhut Jolokia contains more 3 to 5 % Capsaicin than normal chili pepper. That’s why Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper) is hot.