Scoville, not FarmVille..

One of the senses we enjoy lot is the taste. Multi-billion dollar food industry runs day and night to cater to just 2 inches of the tongue.. Amazing, isn't it? Ever wondered how is the taste measured? Yes, its of course quite subjective and a very personal opinion. But hey! There are couple of methods and connoisseurs doing it for us.. Scoville is one of them.

American chemist Wilbur Scoville developed such a test for rating the pungency of chillies - 'Scoville Organoleptic Test'. The spicy heat is caused by Capsaicin - a chemical compound which stimulates chemoreceptor nerve endings in the skin, especially the mucous membranes and the amount of capsaicin present is measured in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The method involves mixing the alcohol extract of capsaicin oil from a measured amount of dried chillies in a sugar solution till the "heat" is detectable by a panel a tasters. Bell peppers have a rating of zero (0) SHU, ~5,000 SHU for Jalapeno, ~40,000 SHU for Tabasco, Andhra Chilli at 225,000 SHU, and guess what?! The top rated hottest chilli is at ~1,000,000 SHU is 'Bhut Jolokia' or the 'Cobra Chilli' from India!! Surprised?!! :)

Here's a table to give you a rough idea of pungency of chillies..

Scoville rating	Chilli / Pepper
15,000,000–16,000,000	Pure capsaicin
5,000,000–5,300,000	Law Enforcement Grade pepper spray, FN 303 irritant ammunition
855,000–1,050,000	Bhut Jolokia
350,000–580,000	Red Savina Habanero
100,000–350,000	Guntur Chilli, Habanero chili, Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Datil pepper, Rocoto, African Birdseye, Madame Jeanette, Jamaican Hot Pepper
50,000–100,000	Bird's eye chili/Thai Pepper/Indian Pepper, Malagueta Pepper, Chiltepin Pepper, Pequin Pepper
30,000–50,000	Cayenne Pepper, Ají pepper, Tabasco pepper, Cumari pepper (Capsicum Chinese)
10,000–23,000	Serrano Pepper
2,500–8,000	Jalapeño Pepper, Guajillo pepper, New Mexican varieties of Anaheim pepper, Paprika (Hungarian wax pepper)
500–2,500	Anaheim pepper, Poblano Pepper, Rocotillo Pepper, Peppadew
100–500	Pimento, Peperoncini
0	No heat, Bell pepper

Watch out this space for more Knowledge articles..

References:
1. Wikipedia: Scoville scale
2. Wikipedia: Bhut Jolokia pepper