12:50pm Thursday 28th August 2008
By Echo Reporter
WEST Bexington wants to be a hot spot - for curry, not crime!
Michael and Joy Michaud hit the headlines all over the world in March 2006 when they announced they had grown the Dorset Naga, the world's hottest chilli.
They were in the media spotlight again in July when Richard Branson commissioned the world's hottest curry, The Bollywood Burner, using the Naga chilli, to advertise Virgin Media's Bollywood movies on demand.
At the time their own chillies were not ripe enough for the dish so they told the chef where they sold their chillies and the chilli actually used was the Naga Morish, the parent of the Dorset Naga.
Now Mr Michaud is in talks with two chefs from Bridport and Dorchester, who are both interested in taking on the curry challenge and creating what they may call the Dorset Devil curry.
He said: "We are hoping to work with two different Indian chefs who are both interested in developing our own hottest curry."
He also hopes to have it verified and the curry sent for heat analysis, just like they did with their Dorset Naga.
But that is in the future. For now amateur cooks in West Dorset will be able to have a go themselves as Tesco has just announced it is selling the chillies in its stores across the country after a successful trial in Newcastle.
Tesco exotic vegetable buyer Jonathan Corbett said: "The Dorset chilli is something only absolute connoisseurs of very hot food and those with asbestos-lined stomachs should even consider trying.
"However, there are an increasing number of chilli heads, as they are officially known, that not only savour but endorse these tiny vegetables as being beneficial in helping sweat out the body's toxins.
"To give some indication to the hot chilli pepper novice, this variety is so searingly hot that it makes a vindaloo curry seem like a bowl of muesli."
For local fans the chillies can be seen at the Michaud's open day on Sunday at Peppers by Post, Sea Spring Farm, West Bexington from 10am to 4pm. The Dorset Naga is now ripe and ready for those brave enough to take it on.
The Naga chilli originated in Bangladesh but Mr Michaud bought a plant from a Bournemouth store, saved the seeds and experimented to create a strain much, much hotter.
The heat of a chilli pepper is measured in Scoville Units and the former record-holding chilli pepper, a Red Savina, gave a reading of 577,000 Scovilles.
The Dorset Naga measured treble that, giving a reading of 1.6 million Scovilles.
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