Naga chilli makes its case for a GI tag as demand grows in Europe

The king chilli — bhut jolokia, the pepper that once scorched its way into the Guinness Book of Records — is the subject of a new GI application, as European buyers queue for sauce and spice paste made from it.

Growers across Nagaland and neighbouring Manipur and Assam argue over the appellation, even as prices for dried pods have tripled in five years.

Agronomists warn the boom could bring poor imitations; purists insist only the high-altitude pods, ripened slowly, carry the real heat.