Naga King Chilli Festival

Naga King Chilli Festival:

Seiyhama village in Nagaland celebrated the third edition of the Naga king chilli festival.

• Naga King Chilli belongs to genus Capsicum of family Solanaceae.
• It is also known as raja mircha, Bhoot Jolokia and Ghost pepper.
• It is a spice renowned globally for its extreme heat, which exceeds 1 million Scoville heat units (SHU).
• It is ranked among the hottest chillies in the world, the king chilli holds significant cultural and economic value for the Naga people.
• It has received the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2008.
• The cultivation of king chilli in Seiyhama is an ancient practice. Farmers begin searching for suitable plots in December or January, with large bamboo groves being the preferred location.
• The peak harvest of king chilli occurs in August and September, with the final harvest in November and December.
• The king chilli has long been used to preserve food in Nagaland’s hot, humid climate, extending the shelf life of food and reducing waste.