Scoville scale for the degree of spiciness in chili peppers - you often ask us what it means! This article is about it! The Scoville scale is a comparative scale that measures the degree of spiciness of chili peppers. The scale is named after the American chemist Wilbur Lincoln Scoville, who developed a method for measuring the spiciness of different chili peppers, or more precisely, the amount of capsaicin they contain. The unit in which this amount is measured is the SHU (abbreviation of Scoville Heat Unit). In 1912, the chemist invented a method for testing the spiciness of peppers, in which chili pepper extract was mixed with sweetened water until the spiciness was no longer noticeable. The ratio of sweetened water to the original amount of chili pepper extract, divided by 100, is the Scoville unit of measurement still used today, although electronic devices are now available that make the calculation more precise.