Thai DragonsThe Thai Dragon may not actually breathe fire but it is certainly hot! Although the name is sometimes used for the Thai Water Dragon, in the West the term usually refers to a hot chilli pepper.The technical name for the Thai Dragon is Capsicum annuum. It is a hot chill (also spelt chili or chile) pepper that can be seen green but is usually red. Each is about three to three and a half inches in length. A single Thai Dragon plant can produce as many as 200 chillis in a single growing season. The Thai Dragon is very hot, averaging around 100,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) (estimates vary from 50,00 all the way up to 300,000 SHU). By contrast, Jalepenos are around 5,000 Scoville Units of heat and Habeneros reach up to 325,000. This hot pepper is common in much Asian cooking, particularly stir fries and soups. Handle with care!
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