Scoville

Here you will find a compilation of information about the heat behind hot peppers. Feel free to scroll down and browse our information. Or pick and choose from the following index:

• What are Scoville Units?
  

• Pepper Heat Scale Chart
  
• The Taste
  
• How to Put Out The Fire
  
• Getting Started
  
• They Are Good For You 

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What are Scoville Units?

In 1912, Dr. Wilbur Scoville, a chemist working for the Parke Davis company, devised the Scoville Organoleptic Test, a method of determining the heat in hot peppers.

The substance that makes a pepper hot is called capsaicin (N-Vanillyl-8-methyl-6 (E)-noneamide). Dr. Wilbur's process provided a way to measure the heat of the pepper by essentially measuring how much capsaicin it has.

The Scoville heat unit is the closest thing to a standard for measuring the heat in a pepper. It is a measurement that involves adding sugar to a solution until one can no longer taste the pepper. The more sugar, the higher the spice, the greater measurement in Scoville units.

Measuring by Scoville Units is very subjective. To achieve a rating, it takes three out of five people to taste the heat in a diluted solution of alcohol and sugar water. The ratio of dilution is the Scoville Unit. Dr. Wilbur's test was originally a subjective taste test, but today it's done with high-tech, high-pressure liquid chromatography.

Thanks to his efforts though, the Scoville name remains a constant with those who make and enjoy hot peppers and the sauces made from them. Higher Scoville units mean hotter food. The basic bell or sweet Italian peppers rate zero. The hottest pepper ever tested was a Red Savina Habanero, which reached an incredible 577,000 Scoville units in 1995.

The capsaicin level in peppers can vary from plant to plant due to local environmental conditions. This means that a pepper's rating is an average measure. Changing local weather conditions affect the heat level of peppers - so the Scoville ratings shown below are averages.

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Scoville: Hot Pepper Heat Scale

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The Taste

If you ask someone why they eat hot foods, you'll get several answers, but the main one is the endorphin rush. Endorphins are natural opiates released by the brain to signal pleasure rather than pain. You can be eating hot foods, panting, breathing hard, sweating, and smiling because you really enjoy it!

Dried chilies taste different and are often hotter than the fresh version of the same variety. The highest concentrations of capsaicins are in the seeds and the placenta - the white ribs you find inside. And size has nothing to do with heat. The Habanera is considerably smaller than a banana pepper.

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How to Put Out The Fire

Mouth on fire? Don't drink water or beer to cool down! Capsaicin is only minimally water-soluble. Beer and water spread the oil around, rather than quench it. Drink milk or eat ice cream, sherbet, or yogurt. Rice and bread (especially plain tortillas) are also good for diminishing the effect. Don't let anyone tell you hot sauce hides the flavour of the food underneath: it enhances it. You just have to get accustomed to the heat first.

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Getting Started

You can accustom yourself to hot foods slowly and develop a real taste for them by adding some to every meal and slowly increasing the dosage. Once you've reached a plateau of tolerance, you'll be surprised how bland food tastes without hot sauces. In no time at all you'll be munching jalapenos like salted peanuts and splashing Tabasco sauce on everything from peanut butter sandwiches to ice cream.

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They Are Good For You

Capsaicin, by the way, has medicinal values and has been used to treat acne, arthritis, blood clots and other ailments. And peppers are chock full of vitamin C. Remember that the next time your mouth is afire.

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