From Addiction to Extreme Heat: Ed Curry's Pepper Legacy
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Resources & Recommendations
People Mentioned
- Ed Currie - Creator of Pepper X, the world's hottest chili pepper, and owner of Puckerbutt Pepper Company.
- Stephanie Walker (Professor at New Mexico State University) - Expert who has studied chili peppers for over 35 years, providing insights into their chemical properties and history.
- Christopher Columbus - Mentioned in the context of taking chili pepper seeds back to Europe in the 15th century, leading to their global spread.
Organizations & Institutions
- Guinness World Records - Recognized Pepper X as the hottest chili pepper ever measured in a lab.
- New Mexico State University - Where Stephanie Walker is a professor and where a colleague stumbled upon the Bhut Jolokia (ghost pepper).
- India's Military - Used the Bhut Jolokia (ghost pepper) to make non-lethal hand grenades.
- Puckerbutt Pepper Company - Ed Currie's company that grows and cross-breeds peppers, sells mash wholesale, and produces its own line of hot sauces.
- Lowe's - Sells pepper seeds from Puckerbutt Pepper Company.
- Home Depot - Sells pepper seeds from Puckerbutt Pepper Company.
- Walmart - Sells pepper seeds from Puckerbutt Pepper Company.
- Tabasco - Mentioned as a "big boy" in the hot sauce industry.
- Frank's RedHot - Mentioned as a "big boy" in the hot sauce industry.
- Cholula - Mentioned as a "big boy" in the hot sauce industry.
Websites & Online Resources
- Facebook groups like "Pepper Freaks" - Where chili head enthusiasts convene and share their passion for super hot peppers.
- Hot Ones - A popular YouTube show where celebrities are interviewed while eating increasingly spicier hot wings, for which Puckerbutt Pepper Company manufactures sauces.