What is the Scoville Heat Scale?
The Scoville scale is a measure of the “hotness”, or more correctly, piquancy, of a chili pepper. The scale is named after its creator, American chemist Wilbur Scoville. These fruits of the Capsicum genus contain capsaicin, a chemical compound which stimulates thermoreceptor nerve endings in the skin, especially the mucus membranes, and the number of Scoville heat units (SHU) indicates the amount of capsaicin present. Many hot sauces use their Scoville rating in advertising as a selling point. The scale is named after its creator, chemist Wilbur Scoville.
