Picto Diary - 07 December 2019 (3) - Hornbill Festival Horticulture Exhibit

Above: Koessler, TIMDT, and Aisha, Official at Horticulture Exhibit. Hornbill Festival. Kohima, Nagaland. 07 December 2019.

Above: Naga King Chiles. Hornbill Festival Horticultural Exhibit. Kohima, Nagaland. 07 December 2019.

The Bhut jolokia , also known as ghost pepper, ghost chili pepper, ghost chili and ghost jolokia, is an interspecific hybrid chili pepper cultivated in Nepal as well as the Northeast Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland and Manipur. It is a hybrid of Capsicum chinense and Capsicum frutescens and is closely related to the Naga Morich of Nagaland and Bangladesh.

In 2007, Guinness World Records certified that the ghost pepper was the world's hottest chili pepper, 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. The ghost chili is rated at more than 1 million Scoville Heat Units (SHUs). However, in the race to grow the hottest pepper, the ghost chili was shortly superseded by the Infinity chili in 2011, followed by the Naga Viper, the Trinidad Moruga scorpion in 2012 and the Carolina Reaper on 7 August 2013.

Above: Millet. Horticulture Exhibit, Hornbill Festival. Kohima, Nagaland. 07 December 2019.

Millet is a grain that dates back to the ancient Eastern Asian region. Even though it has been around for centuries, millet has received little attention as a food staple compared to other grains like rice and wheat. Millet is starting to gain more popularity because it is a source of many nutrients, low in calories and is a gluten free grain.

Above: Bananas. First Prize. Horticulture Exhibit, Hornbill Festival. Kohima, Nagaland. 07 December 2019.

Above: Drums and Naga kids. Horticulture Exhibit, Hornbill Festival. Kohima, Nagaland. 07 December 2019.

Numerous times over the course of our trip to India Phin was approached to have his picture taken. It reminded us of the same phenomenon we experienced with his Mom in India back in the early '70's. Caucasian adults are one thing, but, seeing Caucasian kids is rare... and, worthy of an image!