Combat Cuisine: India Develops Chili Grenade

The Indian Army is turning to native cuisine for combat. The army has decided to use its infamous bhut jolokia pepper — the hottest in the world — as the basis for a new grenade. The Chili grenade explodes in a cloud of pepper — leaving people blind and gasping for hours. It is known as the Ghost Pepper in the West and urban legends say it can be lethal.

The pepper has a Scoville rating of 855,000 units. It received a rating of 1,041,427 units using HPLC analysis. In comparison, Tabasco red pepper sauce rates at 2,500–5,000.

The new grenade is considering “non-lethal” because people eventually regain their sight and normal breathing — though any dishes will remain highly spicy.

The Army says the grenade can also be used to protect against rampaging elephants.

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