Growing Naga Chilli plants from seed

[garreth64]

I've grown a few Chilli plants quite successfully last year, so decided to step up this year and have just ordered some Naga Morich Chilli seeds to grow this year.

Now I like hot chilli as much as the next man, but these are real bad boys and am wondering if I'm going to be able to usefully use them in cooking.

Anyone grown the same and got any recommendations for growing and/or cooking?


Extract from the website I have ordered them from:

The Naga King Chilli - Naga Morich

This strain of Naga Morich is straight from the hills surrounding Nagaland where it was tasted by Gordon Ramsay on his Great Escapes programme for Channel 4 television. Gordon Ramsey visited a village of one of the famous Naga Warrior Tribes in his latest show. The Naga Morich 'snake or serpent chilli' is one of the world's most respected hot chilli peppers. The Nagaland government has finally won the patent rights for the Naga King Chilli and also registered as the proprietor of the chilli with the Government of India, according to the Geographical Indication Registry recently.

• We only know of 2 companies that stock the original seeds of Naga King Chilli direct from Nagaland.**

In Nagaland it is grown in districts of Kohima, Mon and Peren. Traditionally chilli is being grown for green fruits during summer months in the upland jhum paddy fields. Its fruits form an essential ingredient of the Naga kitchen cuisine. The plant grows at the height of 120 cm bearing up to 150 fruits. The flowers are white, 2-3 at a node, and fruits are blood red in colour, conical measures about two inches in length and a half-inch width. Heat Value 1,041,427 Scoville Heat Unit. The people of Nagaland have been eating it for decades. Due to its extra-ordinary pungency level and irritating properties it has also been used as lachrymatory agent (a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause tears, pain, and even temporary blindness). Nagas are known to have used this chilli as a biological weapon in ancient warfare to get rid of enemies and also used it to smoke out foxes and rodents in their fields.

Naga King Chilli Heat

The heat of chillies is due to the presence of a group of seven closely related compounds called capsainoids, but capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) and dihydrocapsaicin are responsible for approximately 90% of the pungency. The Naga Morich has a high percent of these two compounds.

Currently original Naga King Chilli seeds are scarce, and Naga seeds with proven provenance are even scarcer still. Our Naga King Chilli seeds come from certificated germination and heat tested stock. (Capsicum chinense Jacq) Seed Origin Nagaland