The Bhut Jolokia — also known variously by other names in its native region (see below), most commonly Naga jolokia — is a chili pepper generally recognized as the hottest in the world. The pepper is sometimes called the Ghost pepper by Western media, possibly erroneously.
The Bhut Jolokia is a naturally-occurring interspecific hybrid from the Assam region of northeastern India. It grows in the Indian states of Nagaland and Manipur, and the Sylhet region of Bangladesh. There was initially some confusion and disagreement about whether the Bhut was a Capsicum frutescens or a Capsicum chinense pepper, however DNA tests demonstrated it is an interspecies hybrid, mostly C. chinense with some C. frutescens genes.[8] In 2007, Guinness World Records certified the Bhut Jolokia as the world's hottest chili pepper, replacing the previous record holder, the Red Savina, a particularly hot strain of habanero chili.