The ghost pepper (aka the Bhut Jolokia) is one of the hottest pepper in the world, topping over 1 Million Scoville Heat Units.It was awarded the distinction of the World’s Hottest of All Spices by the Guinness World Records in 2006, topping the Red Savina Habanero, though was eventually toppled several times over. The current record holder for the hottest pepper in the world is the Carolina Reaper. Ripe peppers measure 2.5 to 3.3 inches long and are usually red, though there are yellow, orange, white, purple or chocolate color varieties. They originate in Northern India and the peppers have been around for generations, though only cultivated in the western world since the turn of the century. The pepper belongs to the Capsicum chinense family, like the Habanero, Scotch Bonnet and Red Savina.