Moruga is not just a very hot pepper, its a place

For those who do not know it, the district of Moruga is a sovereign state which lies on the central south coast of Trinidad at the western end of the Trinity Hills. The village is close to Trinidad’s oil reserves, and that and fishing are the area’s main economies. The people are also proud to be in the recent news this past year with some of the huge record breaking hottest chile pepper announcements.

I received the above button last week from my friend Jim Duffy of Refining Fire Chiles as a gift. A few weeks ago the government of Trinidad and Tobago asked their marketing firm in Miami to find a picture of the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion to put on a promotional button they would be giving away at an international cricket match. This sporting event was held in Miami, Florida the last weekend of June and the majority of nations that were represented there had marketing firms to promote their countries for trade, business and tourism. Jim Duffy of Refining Fire Chiles was happy to share some of his photos with them, and in return he received a few of these buttons to have and share with his friends. The government of Trinidad and Tobago has been proud to recognize the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion as the World’s Hottest Pepper, and many of their leaders were represented at the cricket match as well.

Trinidad and Tobago supported the super hot chiles study done in 2011 by the New Mexico Chile Pepper Institute at New Mexico State University, which Mr. Duffy supplied the seeds for. They were happy that this pepper has the official scientific world record, because it is recognized as their pepper. Not a made up name pepper or a variety that has a person’s name attached to it. Imagine our American flag being made with a stronger fabric out of Abu Dhabi and suddenly being referred to as the Sheikh Z American Flag. How would Americans feel about that? The Trinidad & Tobago marketing firm has asked Mr. Duffy of Refining Fire Chiles to pass on more information in the future that they can publish about super hot chile peppers to bring more attention to their nation. In Jim’s own words “I am glad that this wonderful island nation of Trinidad and Tobago has finally gotten international recognition for not only having some of the hottest peppers, but also some of the tastiest as well. They are wonderful people and love their peppers.”

A big thanks to Jim for sharing a little piece of this historical gift with me. For information on plants or seeds of the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion go to www.superhotchiles.com For information on Trinidad and Tobago go to www.gotrinidadandtobago.com