Top 52 Hot Peppers
in the World

Aji amarillo is a staple in Peruvian cuisine, a chile pepper with a bright orange color and thick flesh. Its heat level ranges from medium to hot, and it is commonly used in a variety of soups and sauces. This chile variety is native to South America and has a distinctive, subtle, and full-bodied fruitiness. It can be bought in a few forms: dried, fresh, canned, or in the form of a paste. When incorporated into sauces, it is often thickened with bread, mayonnaise, and dairy products, and it is then spooned over a variety of meat, fish, and vegetable dishes. When used in its dried and ground form, it is especially good for rice dishes, giving them a sweetish flavor and vibrant color.Expand

Rocoto chile is a type of chili pepper that is believed to have originated in the Andean areas of Peru and Bolivia, where it has long been grown and used as an essential ingredient of traditional cuisine. It belongs to the Capsicum pubescens genus and is characterized by hairy leaves and dark seeds ranging from dark brown to black, while its rather thick and juicy flesh may be of red, orange, yellow, or green color. Varying in both size and shape, the rocoto chili is renowned for being one of the hottest peppers in the world, and it is distinguished by a rich, fruity, and spicy flavor. Rocoto chilis may be enjoyed fresh as an accompaniment to various dishes, made into chili paste and used as a condiment, or ground to a powder-like consistency and used as a spice. Because of its high degree of heat, this chili is typically used in smaller quantities to add a fiery kick to a wide variety of sauces, soups, salads, stews, salsas, ceviches, and other traditional specialties such as rocoto relleno (stuffed rocoto peppers) and huacatay hot sauce. Expand

Aji límo (also known as lemon drop pepper) is a Peruvian hot pepper with a citrusy tang and a Scoville heat unit of 15,000-30,000. When mature, its color becomes golden-yellow, and the flavor becomes fruity, with some people comparing it to fresh lemongrass. This chili variety is ideal for spicy salsas, hot sauces, and dishes based on chicken or fish. In Peru, it is often used as a seasoning for various main meals and snacks.Expand

Peruvian panca chili, or ají panca as it's known in South America, is the second most common pepper in Peru, grown all along the coast. This deep red to burgundy colored hot pepper is similar in appearance to ají amarillo, only less spicy and has a rather sweet, berry-like, and slightly smoky flavor with a pronounced floral bouquet. Ají panca can be made into a paste or it can be dried and minced. It is widely used as a seasoning in Peruvian cuisine, especially for various sauces, stews, and fish-based dishes like the famous parihuela seafood soup.Expand

Chipotle is a variety of a hot pepper that is basically a smoked and dried ripe jalapeño. The name of this hot pepper is derived from the Nahuatl word chilpoctli, which means smoked chile. Traditionally, chipotle is made in a sealed smokehouse. Due to the fact that there are numerous types of jalapeños, not all chipotle peppers are alike. They are characterized by a medium heat level ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 on the Scoville scale. The most popular variety is called chipotle morita, characterized by its deep red color.Expand

Guajillo is a traditional chili pepper variety, and one of the main producers of this variety is the state of Zacatecas. The guajillo is the dried form of mirasol chili pepper and its Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) ranges from 2,500 to 5,000. The skin is leathery and reddish brown, and the flavors are fruity and mild to moderately hot, with hints of green tea and berries. Guajillos are often used to make salsas, moles, marinades, and spice rubs. The peppers pair well with chicken and fish dishes. Although they're usually sold whole, guajillos can also be toasted and ground into powder. Expand

Urfa biber is a traditional dried chili pepper originating from the city of Urfa. These peppers are distinguished by their dark burgundy color, flakes of irregular sizes, and a flavor that's best described as sweet, salty, sour, and smoky. Urfa peppers are harvested when they're orange-red or dark red, and they are then dried in the sun during the day. At night, they're covered with plastic or fabric in order for the peppers to preserve their natural oils from the skin. As a result, the peppers become dry, but not entirely, before they're coarsely ground with a bit of salt and packed. Expand

Chile de árbol is a Mexican hot pepper which can be fresh, dried, or ground into a powder. It is characterized by an intense, bright red color and a heat level between 15,000 and 30,000 on the Scoville scale. This chile pepper is often used in salsas, stir-fries, hot sauces, and soups. Its name means tree chili in Spanish, referring to the woody stems which are useful when making dried wreaths.Expand

Ancho is the dried version of ripe poblano chile peppers. The peppers are dried for preservation purposes, and when ground, they can be used in spice rubs, moles, soups, salsas, and enchilada sauces. In their dried form, the heart-shaped ancho chiles have a wrinkled skin and a deep red color, their flavor is smoky, sweet, and reminiscent of plums and raisins, while the heat level ranges from mild to medium.Expand

Kashmiri chili is an Indian hot pepper originating from Kashmir. The chili has a vibrant red color and mild levels of heat, with Scoville heat units (SHU) ranging from 1,000 to 2,000. This staple of Indian cooking is typically used dried, either as powder or flakes. This chili variety is highly praised for its red color that gives vibrancy to tandoori chicken, vindaloo, or rogan josh. In soups and braises, Kashmiri chili is often used as a substitute for paprika powder. The dried variety is conical, wrinkled, and elongated. The flavors are generally mild with fruity undertones.Expand

Arla is a global dairy cooperative owned by farmers primarily located in Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. The company produces a variety of dairy products, including cheese, milk, and yogurt. Arla is committed to sustainable dairy farming practices and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain by 30% by 2030.Expand

Hodi Paprika Ltd. is a producer of spice blends and seasonings. It specializes in paprika products. The company aims to deliver high-quality spices to various markets. It focuses on maintaining traditional methods along with modern technology for processing spices.Expand