Chili pepper · Central Africa
Fatalii
250,000 Scoville heat units
Citrus-forward enough that people underestimate it. It is a full habanero.
What this rung gets you A vindaloo cooked the way the kitchen eats it
How hot Fatalii actually is
Fatalii is about 50 times hotter than a jalapeño, and it does not hold still — published figures run from 125,000 to 325,000 SHU. Sunlight, drought stress and ripeness all push a pod up its range, so the number on a chart is the middle of a wide spread rather than a promise.
On the twelve-rung ladder
It sits on rung 10, Inferno, which spans 200K to 450K SHU. Full habanero. Wear gloves when handling these — capsaicin stays on your fingers for hours and your eyes will find it.
Training to this rung is what gets you: A vindaloo cooked the way the kitchen eats it.
Comparable heat
Anything here burns at roughly the same level, which is what makes them interchangeable when you are training at this rung.
- Scotch bonnet 200,000
- Habanero 225,000
- Datil 300,000
- Mad Dog 357 357,000
Common questions
How hot is Fatalii on the Scoville scale?
Fatalii measures about 250,000 Scoville heat units, with a published range of 125,000 to 325,000 SHU. That is about 50 times hotter than a jalapeño.
Where does Fatalii sit on the ladder?
Rung 10 of twelve — Inferno, covering 200K to 450K SHU. Full habanero. Wear gloves when handling these — capsaicin stays on your fingers for hours and your eyes will find it.
What stops the burn from Fatalii?
Dairy. Capsaicin is fat-soluble, so water spreads it rather than removing it; the casein in milk, yogurt or ice cream lifts it off the receptor. A spoonful of sugar held in the mouth measurably helps too. Starch — rice or bread — physically carries it off the tongue.
Fatalii is rung 10 of twelve. Which rung are you on?
A vindaloo cooked the way the kitchen eats it. That is rung 10. Name the hottest thing you eat without thinking. See how far that is.
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