Home >> All Categories >> Food 101 >> The Scoville Scale
Just How Hot Is "Hot"?
A pepper's heat, or piquancy, is measured in Scoville units. Capsaicin, the chemical compound in peppers that inflames your taste buds or nerve receptors in skin, is measured in Scoville heat units or "SHU".
A chemist named Wilbur Scoville developed the scale. Although it is not 100% accurate, a pepper's Scoville rating will help you determine how hot a chili really is!
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