Britain’s growing army of hot food lovers are in for a treat next week when the UK’s fiercest ever commercially grown chilli pepper is unleashed at Tesco.
The chilli in question is the legendary Trinidad Scorpion – which until recently was considered the hottest chilli pepper in the world.
The heat of a chilli pepper is measured in Scoville Units and the Trinidad Scorpion has an average reading of 1.2 million Scovilles although individual fruit have been measured at 2 million Scovilles. The average Jalapeno pepper comes in at 3,500 Scovilles.
Tesco chilli pepper buyer Shannon Berry said: “The Trinidad Scorpion is unbelievably spicy and should be approached with extreme caution even by so called chilli heads.
“You can sense the strength just by smelling the chilli and the first bite leaves you under no illusion at all that you are about to undergo an intense culinary experience.
“But besides the scorching heat the Trinidad Scorpion also has a wonderful fruitiness that if tempered in a chutney or salsa with mango or banana it will create quite a wonderful relish.
“Be warned, it is so strong you need only the tiniest smidgeon in order to add some excitement to your food.”
The Trinidad Scorpion has been grown by the UK’s foremost hot chilli pepper farmer, Salvatore Genovese who produces one million chillies a week on his farm near Sandy in Bedfordshire – purely for the British market.
Salv, as he is known in the business, has become so renowned within the UK’s chilli head community that he has attracted a loyal fan base with followers eagerly anticipating the arrival of his latest variety.
Two years ago Salv launched the notorious Bedfordshire Super Naga in the UK and demand was so high that initial supplies ran out within a few months. This time he has planted enough to at least last through most of the summer.
Salv said: “It could be that the Trinidad Scorpion is way too hot for the UK market so I’m eager to get feedback before deciding on whether to grow more or not.
“For the Bedfordshire Burner I was getting calls from chilli heads all over the world and it went down a storm which is why I decided to grow an even hotter variety.
Tesco, which has the widest range of chilli peppers sold in British supermarkets, has varieties for beginners such as red, green, serenade and fresno; those for seasoned users such as finger, bird eye and of course those for hardcore fans such as Scotch Bonnet.
The Trinidad Scorpion will go on sale exclusively in 235 Tesco stores across the UK and will cost £1 for a packet of between two to three chilli peppers, depending on the size.
www.tescoplc.com
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