Remember a few years when the Bhut Jolokia (a.k.a. the Ghost Pepper) was purported to be the hottest chile in the world? Well not so much anymore. It's not even in the top 5 these days. Depending on what you read or who you believe, the current hottest chile pepper in the world is either the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion or the Carolina Reaper.
]
And if you want to have a taste and then have a certificate that proves you ate it, Chef/restaurateur Geeta Bansal (who, by the way, just got invited to cook at the James Beard House in NY on September 27th), owner of the Clay Oven in Irvine, is serving a special lamb dish featuring the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion as the ingredient until September 30. The dish is called “The Shiv” and anyone who can consume the entire portion will receive a certificate acknowledging the feat and will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win Clay Oven's Thanksgiving Tandoori Turkey.
Rumor around the office is that our own Charles Lam is going to sacrifice his tender insides for the team and take up the challenge…hopefully with someone filming it, and maybe a cold glass of milk on the side. Stay tuned.
Follow Stick a Fork In It on Twitter @ocweeklyfood or on Facebook! And don't forget to download our free Best Of App here!
Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.