chas wrote:
I got some in my stocking a year-plus ago...
To those unfamiliar with certain Christmas traditions, it's ... complicated.
chas wrote:
It's really good stuff, but the number of foods it goes with is limited.
Since I find myself questioning the practical utility of so much heat, I did some looking, and while the Bhut Jolokia is used in its native environment for certain cooking applications, the list seems not to be extensive there, either. This pepper seems to be more notable for its use as a wild elephant repellent, smeared onto fencing and as pepper bombs.
chas wrote:
I'm not that impressed with the heat level, closer to a Habanero than I would have thought.
Could be a number of reasons for that. One would be that yours were raised in a nutrient-rich soil; in general, the poorer the soil, the hotter the pepper. I also have a personal theory that there's a point where receptor overload kicks in, and the difference becomes six of one and half a dozen of the other. But it might have been preparation, too; as I mentioned earlier, the vanes are key.
I heard tell of one fellow who would yell and cuss at his pepper (chili) plants, the idea being that the abuse would be picked up by vegetal sentience, and the plants, being pissed off, would retaliate with greater heat. I never did learn of the outcome, but one does wonder what the neighbors thought.