Dorset Naga

Developed in Dorset, England from a Naga Morich plant (native to Bangladesh/NE India) by Joy and Michael Michaud of Sea Spring Seeds, stabilized through selective breeding and released around 2005, gaining Plant Variety Protection in 2009. A naturally bred open-pollinated superhot with fruity floral aroma. Delayed onset with a deep escalating long-lasting burn.

History & lineage

Britain's own superhot, and for a time the hottest chilli ever recorded. Dorset Naga was bred by Michael and Joy Michaud at Sea Spring Seeds in west Dorset, starting from ten plants of naga morich — a Bangladeshi landrace — grown from stock bought at an Asian grocery in Bournemouth. It took roughly a decade of selection to produce a distinct, uniform and stable population adapted to British growing conditions.

In 2005 the Michauds picked one ripe fruit from each of around 240 plants, dried the harvest and sent it to the United States for analysis. One sample returned 1,598,227 Scoville Heat Units — at the time the highest figure ever published for a chilli. They told the Bridport News in March 2006, and the story went worldwide within a day.

The variety was submitted to the EU Community Plant Variety Office and put through three years of independent trials, gaining recognition as a new and distinct variety in 2009 along with Plant Breeders' Rights. Sea Spring give its working range as 800,000 to 1,600,000 SHU, averaging over a million.

Culinary uses

Fermented sauces with mango, tamarind or garlic; Bangladeshi-style pickles and chutneys; extreme hot sauces and marinades; spicy stews and soups; dehydrated powders for rubs.