A chemist named Wilbur Scoville developed a scale to answer this very question in 1912. His system measures the heat factor of chili peppers in multiples of 100 “Scoville units,” as rated by human tasters with iron tongues! The higher the rating, the hotter the pepper. Here’s a peppering of peppers from all parts of the Scoville scale spectrum:
Green Bell Pepper: 0 Scoville units
Tabasco Pepper: 50,000 Scoville units
Jalapeno Pepper: 5,000 Scoville units
Habanaga Pepper: 500,000 Scoville units
Ghost Pepper: 1,000,000 Scoville units
The Ghost Pepper is so hot that it will burn your skin unless you wear gloves. The capsaicin concentration in ghost pepper is even higher than the amount used in pepper spray, a nonlethal weapon wielded by police.
Picture Credit : Google