This Is The Guinness World Record For Most Ghost Peppers Eaten In 1 Minute
There have been some pretty wild attempts to land a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records, especially when it comes to records for food consumption. Take André Ortolf, for example, who ate nearly a whole jar of peanut butter in one minute as well as 1.5 pounds of jelly in one minute (while using chopsticks), according to the official Guinness World Records site. Then there's Patrick Bertoletti, who ate 36 cloves of garlic in one minute (via Insider).
But there's one world record setter whose food feat is particularly impressive. In 2019, Canadian Mike Jack set the record for consuming the most Bhut Jolokia chili peppers (aka ghost peppers) in one minute, clocking in at an incredible 97 grams (via YouTube). Later, in 2020, he also set the same record for the amount of ghost peppers eaten in two minutes, coming in at 246 grams (via Guinness Book of World Records). The YouTube video documenting his one-minute attempt states that Bhut Jolokia peppers are 107 times hotter than jalapeños. Jack set the record in front of a live audience who cheered him on with every bite.
Why eating that many ghost peppers is so impressive
As the video clip noted, the rules to break the record were pretty strict: The peppers must be raw, unpeeled, and eaten one at a time. Jack was also not permitted to drink any water. As well, the peppers had to be weighed right before and directly after Jack consumed them. Immediately following his attempt, Jack — who was in obvious physical distress — stuck out his tongue to show the audience that all the peppers were swallowed, then wiped away tears with his sleeve.
"Oh, I need some water," he said in the clip. "Yeah, I'm burning up. My tongue is on fire."
Before the results were eventually revealed in the video, the emcee of the event told Jack, "It was a hell of an effort, man." Jack seemed thrilled upon hearing the results that he consumed 97 grams, noting he had to beat 30 grams to make the world record and divulging that his personal goal was 80 grams, which he far surpassed.
To reference just how much of a feat this was, it's important to note that the ghost pepper is known as being the hottest pepper in existence, registering at 1.5 million Scoville Heat Units (a measurement for the spiciness of a pepper), which, by comparison, is far above that of a jalapeño that can range between 2,500-8,000 units, per News 18. Though Jack is used to the heat — according to the article, he is the host of the YouTube series "Mike Jack Eats Heat."
It's also worth pointing out that Jack didn't just make the attempt at eating the most ghost peppers to break a world record, he also did it for a worthy cause. The event was aimed at increasing awareness about food insecurity as well as providing donations for the Hunger Project Charity (via YouTube), an organization that works to feed people around the world.