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In Assam, India, farmers are now able to make a living from growing a crop that has seen a surge in demand. This is all thanks to the Guinness Book of World Records writes Helen Pidd:

• In 2007 the Guinness Book of World Records certified an Indian chili called bhut jolokia, used to repel elephants, as the world’s hottest chili.
• This caused demand to surge. People all over the world ordered it to prove their toughness. One woman ate 51 of them to set her own record.
• The military worked on a way to weaponize it for crowd control purposes.
• Today farmers can make ₹1,800 for a kilo of the crop. This is a fortune since the average farmer survives on ₹150 a day.
• Bhut jolokia has since lost its title to an Australian spice as the world’s hottest chili. However this new chili isn’t as widely available, and doesn’t have the same multi-generational reputation for hotness that bhut jolokia does.

To read more including some of the other applications for the spice, what happens if you’re exposed to it, what the liquid extract from bhut jolokia looks like, what the Indian forces have used it for, and the role of the Assamese government and NGOs, click here.

Source: The Guardian

Via: Marginal Revolution