只能碰不能吃的世界最辣辣椒
近日，英国多西特郡出产的一种据说“会把脑袋辣掉”的红辣椒，被美国香辛料贸易协会认定为“世界上最辣的红辣椒”。
据《每日电讯》报道，多西特郡出产的这种名为“纳加”的红辣椒实在太辣了，种植它的人在拨辣椒皮进行播种时不得不带上手套，且身体必须处在上风位置，眼睛才不至于被刺痛。琼伊·米乔德与丈夫迈克尔·米乔德在西贝克星顿种植这种红辣椒，她说：“这种东西我不会吃的，但是有些人肯定会喜欢。”
热力测试：纳加令人生畏
一家由美国香辛料贸易协会开设的实验室经测试后发现，“纳加”红椒要比《吉尼斯世界纪录》中记载的世界最辣辣椒的热力高出了近60％，达到87.6万个热力单位（即斯科维尔热力单位）。前世界纪录保持者——墨西哥“沙维那阿巴内洛红辣椒”为57.7万个热力单位。
测试结果如此令人吃惊，以至于人们再次将“纳加”送往这家位于纽约的实验室进行测试，第二次的测试结果竟高达97万个热力单位。据说，这种销售时标有健康警告的“纳加”辣椒是由来自孟加拉国的多种辣椒培育出来的。
品尝方法：只能碰不能吃
米乔德夫妇发现了这种红辣椒后就收集种子开始种植，但是后来顾客告诉他们，只放半个这种小红辣椒的咖喱就已经辣得让人吃不下了，直到那时他们才意识到这种辣椒有多辣。琼伊说：“我们是从伯恩茅斯的一家商店买到这种“纳加”红辣椒的。孟加拉国人很崇拜这种辣椒。”
在伯恩茅斯一家印度孟加拉餐馆工作的阿克塔·米哈说：“多数人不用它做菜；他们只是在吃饭时把它们（纳加）放在旁边，用食物轻轻地碰碰它们。如果你不知道你正在做什么，它会把你的脑袋炸开。”
A chilli pepper grown in a polytunnel in Dorset has been claimed as the world's hottest.
The Dorset Naga is so fiery that when the owners break the skin to remove the seeds to sow for the following year's crop they have to wear gloves and be outside in a strong wind so their eyes don't sting.
"It is something I wouldn't eat but some people must like them," said Joy Michaud, who developed the chilli at the Peppers by Post business she runs with her husband Michael at West Bexington.
An American laboratory found the chilli to be almost 60 per cent hotter than the one listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The Naga registered a Scoville heat unit of 876,000. The record holder is a Red Savina Habanero with a rating of 577,000.
The result was so startling that the Dorset pepper was sent for a second test to a laboratory in New York used by the American Spice Trade Association. It recorded a higher figure of 970,000 heat units. The Naga, which is sold with a health warning, was developed from a variety which originated in Bangladesh.
The Michauds found the chillis, collected the seeds and grew them. It was only when customers told them they were unable to eat curries containing half a small pepper that they realized how hot they were.
Mrs Michaud said: "We bought the Naga Morich chilli from a shop in Bournemouth. It is revered by the Bangladeshis. We have all the certificates and believe it is a world record. We will be in touch with the Guinness Book of Records."
Aktar Miha, of the Indis Bangladeshi restaurant in Bournemouth, said: "Most people don't cook with it; they just have it near to them when they eat. They just touch their food with it. If you don't know what you are doing it could blow your head off."