Capsicum is the common name for the genus of plants. It includes a great variety of species, subspecies, and varieties.

All of them can be divided into two large groups: sweet peppers (a vegetable crop) and hot peppers, used as a seasoning.

The common name for different varieties of hot capsicum is chili.

The spiciness of peppers is measured in SHU - units on the Scoville scale, based on the amount of capsaicin, the active component responsible for the spiciness.

The world's spiciest pepper is Pepper X, with a heat rating of 3,180,000 SHU.

The second-spiciest pepper is Dragon's Breath, with a heat rating of 2,500,000 SHU.

This is followed by the Carolina Reaper pepper, which ranges from 1,500,000 to 2,300,000 SHU !

By the way, this is the same number as for pepper spray!

One of the most pungent chilis is the Cayenne pepper (30,000 - 50,000 SHU)

Small pods the size of a bean add an explosive hot taste to Mexican dishes of beans, vegetables, meat and fish, and are also used in Tabasco sauce.

Jalapeño is a very bright pepper with a recognizable taste and medium spiciness. Green pods are pickled, dried and eaten fresh. It is very popular in pizza, salads, sandwiches and nachos. Moderately acute — from 2500 to 8000 SHU.

Chipotle is a red, ripe jalapeno, slightly smoked. It has a bright taste, moderate sharpness and a sweet smoky aroma. It is usually used in seasoning mixes.

Chipotle peppers have a heat level of 5,000 to 10,000 SHU, which means they are hotter than green jalapeños.

The "mildest" chili is paprika. This sweet bell pepper is especially popular in Hungary and Bulgaria and is used in traditional dishes such as goulash and paprikash.

Smoked paprika has an intense sweet and spicy flavor with a smoky aroma. To make it, ripe red paprika peppers are smoked over wood, dried, and ground into a powder.