Bulgarian Carrot - Hot or medium?

[WVTomatoMan]

Yes, there is a story behind this. The basic questions are as follows. Are Bulgarian Carrot peppers hot or medium hot? Are there two Bulgarian Carrots?

Here's the story...
I'm growing Ring of Fire peppers. F1 from seeds I purchased this year and F2 from seeds I saved last year. A guy at work wanted to grow some peppers and asked for leftover seedlings. I thought it might be good to have him grow one of the F2s because he grows in containers. I'm growing an F1 in containers. I had a couple of almost ripe peppers so I took them to work and left them on his keyboard. Later, as expected he IMed me and asked me about them. I told him about the F1/F2 situation and comparing the F1 peppers I brought to the F2 peppers he'd be growing. Here's basically how the rest of the IM went:
Him: Are they hot?
Me: Hot is a relative term.
Him: Am I going to die if I eat them?
Me: No you are not going to die.
Him: Come on, are they hot or not?
Me: Yes they are hot, but they aren't deadly.
Him: Okay I'm going to try.

So, he and his office mate gave them a try. I dropped by a short time later and his office mate informed me that he still could not feel his tongue. My buddy said they were really hot and that he had bought Habenaros at the grocery store that weren't as hot (which is probably true - grocery store hot peppers aren't very hot for the most part). After talking for a while they said in typical macho fashion that they could've taken it a little hotter. So they asked if I was growing anything hotter. I said that I know that the Jalapeno, Jaloro, and Tabasco peppers that I'm growing wouldn't be hotter. Then I went on to mention that I'm growing Bulgarian Carrot peppers and I had never grown them before and I didn't know if they'd be hotter or not. So we looked it up on the internet. The first site (complete with Scovile list) ranked it up there with Habenaro and Scotch Bonnet. The next site had it medium hot just above jalapeno. We looked at other sites with varying results. Any light that anyone could share would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Randy

[ddsack]

I would tend to put it in the category of just above jalapeno, but my results could be be skewed by my growing conditions being cooler than some. I think it is a beautiful pepper and grew it mostly as an ornamental for a few years, since jalapenos are about as hot as I need for most uses. I do remember it had a pleasant fruity taste hidden in the heat. l tried to start seeds from an old TGS packet this spring, but no luck, not surprising as they were probably 10 years old. I would be interested too, in hearing how others rate it.

[Dukerdawg]

I've had the same thing happen with Bulgarian Carrot. My buddy Bully considers them almost deadly hot. I consider them medium-hot. No where near a habanero, but above a jalapeno. They are a 'must-grow' for me. Just fantastic in salsa. The color is great and the heat is there but with an underlying flavor that I love. And they are pretty prolific as well. With this in mind I have a pretty high threshhold for heat. My wife would die if she ate one. She thinks black pepper out of the shaker is 'hot'! LOL.

Duane

[Little_Rhody]

I think they are hot, too hot for me, but beautiful.

[rxkeith]

i've grown them 3 or 4 years now. they are hot!!!!! no doubt about it. we add them to soups or stews if we want some heat. they grow pretty well for me up north. i freeze them whole, and cut off what i need.

keith

[WVTomatoMan]

I think I've solved the hot vs. medium issue with Bulgarian Carrot. The pepper itself (without the membrane and seeds) isn't that hot. With the membrane and seeds it is a hot one. Up around Ring Of Fire hot which is below habenaro. This is not just my opinion, but the opinion of the "Pepper Pack". The "Pepper Pack" is a group of people at work who taste test hot peppers.

As far as taste it is excellent. It is fruity, sweet, and peppery. One of the "pack" said the taste was amazing.

I highly recommend this pepper especially for salsa usage.

I took pictures of ripe ones. It does look like a little carrot. I'll post them when I get a chance.

Randy

[Lilypon]

So Randy would the heat of the Bulgarian Carrot be similar to that of the Black Hungarian once the Bulgarian Carrot has had the seeds and membrane removed? Your description of the taste has me wanting to dig out my seed catalogs.

[Raymondo]

I'm liking the sounds of this. I sowed BC just yesterday so now I'm really keen for them to grow!.

[WVTomatoMan]

Originally Posted by Lilypon

So Randy would the heat of the Bulgarian Carrot be similar to that of the Black Hungarian once the Bulgarian Carrot has had the seeds and membrane removed? Your description of the taste has me wanting to dig out my seed catalogs.

Without the seeds and membrane I would put them in the medium category. With the seeds and membrane they are hot. But then again like I say, hot is a relative term. If you make salsa IMHO this is a great addition.

Good luck and I hope you like them. BTW, I will be saving seed.

Randy

[WVTomatoMan]

Originally Posted by Raymondo

I'm liking the sounds of this. I sowed BC just yesterday so now I'm really keen for them to grow!.

Also to you good luck and I hope you like them. Could you report back on this thread what you think and how hot you think they are? I'm really interested in a "down under" impression.

Randy

[Raymondo]

Sure thing Randy.

[DeanRIowa]

This is my first year growing the Bulgarian Carrot pepper and I find they are almost as hot as my Jalapeño peppers, which I consider medium.

They are pretty peppers.

Dean

[WVTomatoMan]

Originally Posted by DeanRIowa

This is my first year growing the Bulgarian Carrot pepper and I find they are almost as hot as my Jalapeño peppers, which I consider medium.

They are pretty peppers.

Dean

Wow, that's interesting. I grow Jalapeño M which is hotter than a regular Jalapeño. Bulgarian Carrot is hotter than Jalapeño M so it's a good bit hotter than a Jalapeño. I wonder if there are two different strains or if Bulgarian Carrot performs differently in different areas. The Pepper Pack is debating about which is hotter Bulgarian Carrot or Ring of Fire. Ring of Fire is hotter than Tabasco.

Randy

[Raymondo]

Well, whatever this pepper is, it isn't Bulgarian Carrot. I was very disappointed when I saw the colour change to red. It's a nice looking fruit, but not what I was hoping for. Them's the breaks!

[Dukerdawg]

Ray, that is a nice looking pepper though! How is the heat factor? And yeah, that sure isn't BC. Oh well, surprises can be good sometimes!

Duane