Hot property! Swiss grower breaks own record with chilli longer than a rolling pin
In nearly a decade, the world title for the longest chilli pepper has only been broken three times. But what’s even more incredible is that all three superlative chillies were grown by the same man.
Hobby gardener Jürg Wiesli from Switzerland has just reconfirmed his status as the “chilli master” after presenting a pepper that’s longer than a kitchen rolling pin or about the same length as a kids’ tennis racket!
Jürg made his GWR debut in October 2017 when he presented a 45-cm (1-ft 5.7-in) chilli at a local vegetable competition – overseen by officials from the global produce assessor the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth – in Jona, St Gallen, Switzerland.
Jürg's 45-cm (1-ft 5.7-in) chilli being assessed in 2017
Not content to rest on his spicy laurels, he came back the following year and upped the ante to 50.5 cm (1 ft 7.9 in). And that has remained the mark to beat since 2018.
Jürg with his 50.5-cm (1-ft 7.9-in) chilli in 2018
But now Jürg has returned to push the boundary of chilli-growing once again. On 11 August, one of the prodigious peppers he had nurtured over several months was officially measured at 52.5 cm (1 ft 8.6 in) in Dozwil, Thurgau, Switzerland.
Jürg holding his latest record chilli, measuring 52.5 cm (1 ft 8.6 in)
How did it feel to yet again turn the chilli-growing world on its head after eight years since his last triumph? “I'm happy to have a world-record chilli once again after more than 10 years of breeding,” Jürg told GWR.
So what’s the secret to his phenomenal success? Jürg revealed some of the key stages involved in his cultivation process: “I start the seeds indoors in March under grow lights at 28°C [82°F]. Then I plant them out in the garden at the end of April, once the danger of frost has passed.
Jürg with his record chilli and his grandson Mattia
“I till the soil well and mix in plenty of mature compost. After that, they need regular watering and a balanced fertilizer – but not too much! Otherwise, they just produce lots of leaves instead of chillies.”
All of Jürg’s superlative specimens have originated from a type of Cayenne pepper (Capsicum annuum) known as “Joe’s Long”. Over the last decade, he has carefully developed his own strain by taking forward seeds from his previous season’s best performers. He has dubbed his personally cultivated strain the “Wiesli Big Long”.
These long, thin chillies are full of surprises! Some are rather sweet, while others are extremely hot. I also grow hot chillies, such as the “Trinidad Moruga Scorpion” – Jürg Wiesli
Having now presided over the longest chilli record for nigh on a decade, we were interested to hear if Jürg still thinks there is room for improvement. “Yes, it is possible,” he responded without hesitation. “But the real art lies in getting a straight chilli. Long chillies tend to twist, and trying to straighten them out is almost impossible; they just snap off.”
The big question is, does Jürg actually like eating chillies? It’s a resounding yes from the Swiss horticulturalist when asked how he cooks with them: “I dry the chillies in a wood-fired oven and then grind them into a powder. That way, I can give many dishes the necessary kick.
“My favourite thing to make is ratatouille with chilli, topped with browned ground meat and a little melted grated cheese.”
From right to left: Florian Isler (of the European Giant Vegetable Growers Association), Raphael Wäfler (fellow giant vegetable grower), Jürg, Jürg's wife Brigitte, Arthur Stimming (witness) and Hans Bitzi (fellow giant vegetable grower)
While chillies are how he has made his name at GWR, the green-fingered Jürg has also found considerable national success in his home country with a range of other fruit and veg. He explained: “At times, I’ve held over 20 Swiss records for everything from cucumbers, carrots, beetroots, red cabbage and Trombolino squash to long gourds and giant pumpkins. Everything grows big for me, even when I buy the seeds from a garden centre.”
Growing for the long game is not the only path to GWR glory via chilli peppers. By comparison, the heaviest chilli pepper is currently 460 g (1 lb) – equivalent to a soccer ball – for a portly poblano grown by the UK's Paul Davies, as confirmed on 7 September 2020.
And, of course, it wouldn’t be a story about chillies without touching on that most fundamental of chilli-pepper qualities – piquancy!
The world’s hottest chilli pepper to have been verified by GWR to date is the “Pepper X”, developed by Ed Currie of the PuckerButt Pepper Company (USA). In 2023, lab tests confirmed that an average example of this fiery fruit packed a punchy 2,693,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which is the measurement used to assess pepper heat.
For context, that compares to 350,000 SHU for your typical habanero and just 500 SHU for a jalapeño.
There are also many records for the brave souls who dare to eat these spicy peppers against the clock – typified by fearless speed-eaters such as Mike Jack from Canada. He has set multiple records taking on some of the world's most ferociously hot chillies including the fastest time to eat 50 bhut jolokias (14 minutes 37 seconds) and the fastest time to eat 100 Carolina reapers (36 minutes 38.81 seconds).