An American man took on one of the world's hottest chillis, the notorious "ghost pepper", in a recent eating competition but the outcome was far from a win.

After eating a hamburger laced with ghost pepper puree, the man began vomiting and retching violently. Suffering from severe abdominal pain he was admitted to hospital where doctors discovered a 2.5-centimetre hole in his oesophagus.

Farmer Digonta Saikia shows a "Bhut jolokia" or "ghost chili" pepper plucked from his field in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. Credit:AP/Manish Swarup

The chili eater underwent emergency surgery and spent 23 days in hospital.

The ghost pepper, or bhut jolokia, was considered the world's hottest chilli until 2013 when it was surpassed by the Carolina Reaper pepper.