Saturday, March 17, 2012

Happy Encounters: Miracle Fruit



Found this interesting article from New York times on a miracle fruit (known as Synsepalum dulcificum that makes everything sour tastes sweet!


"CARRIE DASHOW dropped a large dollop of lemon sorbet into a glass of Guinness, stirred, drank and proclaimed that it tasted like a “chocolate shake.”  Nearby, Yuka Yoneda tilted her head back as her boyfriend, Albert Yuen, drizzled Tabasco sauce onto her tongue. She swallowed and considered the flavor: “Doughnut glaze, hot doughnut glaze!” 


They were among 40 or so people who were tasting under the influence of a small red berry called miracle fruit at a rooftop party. The berry rewires the way the palate perceives sour flavors for an hour or so, rendering lemons as sweet as candy.


The miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, is native to West Africa and has been known to Westerners since the 18th century. The cause of the reaction is a protein called miraculin, which binds with the taste buds and acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids, according to a scientist who has studied the fruit, Linda Bartoshuk at the University of Florida’s Center for Smell and Taste."



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