The Devil's Tongue Pepper is a habanero-type Capsicum chinense cultivar with extreme heat and a distinctive twisted, wrinkled shape resembling a misshapen tongue. It was developed or discovered by an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania in the 1990s. It delivers a sweet, fruity, citrusy flavor alongside 125,000–325,000 SHU of heat, making it ideal for hot sauces and salsas.
The Devil's Tongue Pepper matures to a bright golden yellow or yellow-orange color (with red and chocolate variants also existing) and features a long, wrinkled, curvy pod that tapers to a slender pointed tip, typically measuring 2 to 3 inches in length. Its skin is smoother than that of the similar Fatalii pepper, and the pods have thicker walls that contribute to a juicy texture. The pepper offers a sweet, fruity flavor profile with prominent citrus notes and a slight tangy undertone, reminiscent of habanero but with its own distinct character. Heat levels range from 125,000 to 325,000 Scoville Heat Units, placing it at a comparable intensity to habanero or Fatalii peppers—roughly 16 to 130 times hotter than a jalapeño. It is popular for making fiery hot sauces, salsas, pickles, and spice powders due to its intense heat balanced by fruity sweetness. The plant grows up to 4 feet tall, produces prolifically, and requires full sun, well-draining soil, and warm conditions similar to other chinense varieties, with maturity in about 90 days. Its exact origins are mysterious, but it is believed to be a chance selection or mutation from habanero plants grown in Amish country Pennsylvania during the 1990s. Red variants tend to be slightly hotter and sweeter, while chocolate types can exceed 500,000 SHU with nuttier notes.
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Developed or discovered by chance in the 1990s by an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania while growing habanero peppers; exact wild origins unknown but clearly a chinense type with habanero ancestry.
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Reach out →Sweet and fruity with bright citrus notes and a subtle tangy finish, offering a habanero-like complexity that shines through the intense heat.
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