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Peppers are ranked based on their hotness. Scotch bonnets are hot but not the hottest peppers you’d find. On the other hand, ghost peppers are extremely hot – hotter than scotch bonnets.
Depending on your location, you may find scotch bonnets in your local market and not see ghost peppers, and vice versa. There are many similarities between the scotch bonnet and ghost pepper, which leads us to compare scotch bonnet vs ghost pepper.
Scotch bonnets have sweeter flavors and are common to see in most supermarkets. For someone that loves spicy, hot foods, the ghost pepper can be a good choice. However, it is important to note that ghost peppers are scorching and can trigger nausea
However, before comparing these peppers in detail, it’d be great to highlight their origin and regions where you can find them.
What is Scotch Bonnet Pepper?
Also called Bonney peppers, scotch bonnets are a variety of chili pepper endemic to West Africa and the Caribbean. They so much look like habanero and have a heat rating of 100,000–350,000 SHU.
Bonney peppers are considered among the hottest peppers in the world, and you can find them in different regions. Studies show that scotch bonnets can be up to 40x hotter than jalapeño peppers.
There are many sub-varieties of scotch bonnets, with some hybrid versions having a heat rating of up to 750,000 SHU. Bonney peppers appear in various colors, which includes red, orange, green, and yellow.
What is Ghost Pepper?
Ghost peppers are a hybrid of chili pepper endemic to Northeast Asia. Other names for ghost pepper include bhut jolokia and Bhutanese chili.
This pepper is a hybrid of Capsicum Chinense (the species scotch bonnet comes from) and Capsicum frutescens; hence, it has similar features and ratings as Naga Morich.
One time, in 2017 precisely, the Guinness World Records mentioned ghost peppers as the hottest in the world. You may want to know the SHU score, right? Ghost pepper has a heat rating of 1,041,427 SHU.
Well, currently, Ghost Pepper is not the hottest pepper in the world; the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper (1,300,700 on average SHU) and Carolina Reaper (1,569,300 on average SHU) are the current world’s hottest peppers.
More so, ghost peppers can appear in different colors, which include yellow, peach, chocolate, red, and purple.
Scotch Bonnet Vs Ghost Pepper
1. Hotness
Generally, a ghost pepper is 2 – 4 times hotter than scotch peppers; it is the hottest among the two varieties. The major similarity between these two peppers is the shape.
While scotch bonnet is a variety of Capsicum Chinense, ghost pepper is a hybrid of Capsicum Chinense and Capsicum frutescens; hence, botanically, scotch pepper and ghost pepper are from the same family.
2. Looks, Size, and Colors
Mature ghost peppers have a length of about 2.4 – 3.3 inches, and they are wider than scotch bonnets. Also, ghost peppers can appear in red, yellow, orange, or chocolate color, with unique pods and very thin skins.
On the other hand, scotch bonnets grow up to 1.5 inches, and they appear in different colors, which include scarlet red, orange, peach, yellow, and chocolate brown. This pepper is mainly used in the Caribbean for preparing various kinds of dishes.
The scotch bonnet pepper is remarkable for its sweeter flavor. More interestingly, Bonney pepper is perfect for hot sauces.
3. Availability and Usefulness
You can use either of these peppers for making various kinds of meals; however, when using ghost pepper, you must be careful not to add too many because of the hotness.
If you live in the Caribbean, you’d most likely find scotch peppers in various offline stores around your neighborhood. In contrast, ghost peppers are not so common, and you can’t find them in most supermarkets.
The best place to buy ghost peppers is in online stores; that’s where you can easily find them. Both ghost peppers and scotch bonnets are useful for many purposes.
Summary
So, between scotch bonnets and ghost peppers, which should you choose? Apparently, your choice depends on your location and what you’re cooking. Scotch bonnets have sweeter flavors and are common to see in most supermarkets.
For someone that loves spicy, hot foods, the ghost pepper can be a good choice. However, it is important to note that ghost peppers are scorching and can trigger nausea. Either of these peppers is to be used in moderation, depending on the recipe.
We hope that this article explains the scotch bonnet vs ghost peppers comparison. Just in case you want to substitute scotch bonnet in your recipe, the closest alternative chili to choose is habanero.
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