Hot chilli pepper lovers, take a deep breath, grab some milk and prepare for meltdown: the Komodo Dragon has arrived.

The UK’s hottest ever commercially grown chilli pepper goes on sale for the first time on supermarket shelves this week – and it is not for the faint-hearted.

Grown in Bedfordshire, the Komodo Dragon measures up to an eye-watering 1.4m Scoville units – the official measure of chilli potency. In comparison, the lively jalapeño pepper used in many pizza toppings measures a mere 3,500 Scovilles, while the very hot Scotch Bonnet is rated as up to 350,000 Scovilles.

Tesco chilli pepper buyer, Eleanor Mansell, said: “In recent years we’ve had the fearsome Dorset Naga, the searing Bhut Jolokia and the mouth-numbing Trinidad Scorpion. But they all pale in comparison with the UK’s latest commercially grown chilli pepper – the mighty Komodo Dragon – which puts the others in the shade.”

The Komodo Dragon is also unusual because it has a delayed reaction that lulls diners into a false sense of security. Mansell said: “At first you can taste a wonderful hot fruitiness, but then after about 10 seconds the full might of this little demon hits you and your whole mouth is aglow. This is definitely a chilli pepper for connoisseurs and for those who are experienced in eating super-hot food.”



The Komodo Dragon is grown by the UK’s largest producer of chillies, Salvatore Genovese, who has a seven-acre farm in Blunham, Bedfordshire. Currently in season, it will be on the shelves in 500 Tesco branches until November.

Grower Salvatore Genovese with his Komodo Dragon chilli peppers at the farm in Blunham. Photograph: Tesco

Genovese started growing chilli peppers 15 years ago after he took over his parents’ cucumber business. Since then chilli peppers have become so popular that he now harvests about one million – or 15 tonnes – each week just to satisfy UK demand.

“Chilli peppers have really grown in popularity over the last 10 years and feature strongly in a lot of the UK’s favourite dishes – from curries, Thai and Chinese food, to Mexican cuisine, as well as pizzas,” he said. “But it’s the really hot ones that gain the most interest and so each year I try and grow one hotter than the last. I have chilli heads – as they’re known – contacting me from all over the world asking for samples.”

He urged “chilli novices” to have some milk or yoghurt on standby to “douse the flames”.



