What are Scoville Units?

A pharmacist named Wilbur Scoville invented the Scoville Scale in 1912 to measure the heat of peppers. A "Scoville Unit" is actually a measure of capsaicin (the chemical in hot peppers that is responsible for their heat).

Scoville's test was a comparative taste test that is considered subjective by today's standards. A more sophisticated method is in use today, but in honor of Wilbur Scoville, the unit of measure is still called the Scoville.

The capsaicin level in peppers can vary from plant to plant due to local environmental conditions. This means that a pepper's rating is an average measure.

The hottest pepper on record is the Bhut Jolokia with a pungency of over 1 million Scoville Heat Units (1,001,304, to be exact). By contrast, the Bell Pepper comes in at less than 100 Scoville Heat Units.

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