Description
Species: Chinense | Origin: Bangladesh | Heat: Nuclear Naga Morich meaning 'snake or serpent Chile? is an apt name for this ferociously hot variety as eating even the smallest slither of one of these pods is described by some as like drinking cobra venom!!. It is believed to be very closely related to its Indian cousin, the Bhut jolokia (Bih jolokia) and extreme care should be taken when handling these firebombs. In recent tests, one Naga Morich pod registered 1,598,227 SHU. The thin walled wrinkled pods have a high degree of variability in shape although they are generally wedge shaped with three locules and average about 2 inches long by 1 inch wide. They ripen from a rich green through to yellow/orange and finally to a rich red approximately 120 days after transplanting. The extremely long, curved and annular constriction of the Calyx at junction with the peduncle is also a notable feature of this variety. Plants are large and bushy, with ours growing almost 3ft tall. Leaves are ovate in shape and pale green in colour. Plants also display multiple pods and flowers per node (often 5-6 pods per node) and corollas possess the characteristic greenish tinge of other varieties in the chinense species. It is used sparingly (and with great care!) in Bengali cookery and is thought to originate from Northern Bangladesh.