Flavor Tripping on the Miracle Fruit

[LSPoorEeyorick]

The New York Times had a very cool article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/dining/28flavor.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) yesterday about a rare berry which, if you eat it, makes sour things taste sweet for about an hour.

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 in Long Island City, Queens, last Friday night. The berry rewires the way the palate perceives sour flavors for an hour or so, rendering lemons as sweet as candy.

Apparently these berries are available for sale. And since I'm trying to avoid anything high-sugar or high-calorie, it might be a really fun experiment in attempting to sate a sweet tooth with lemons or brussells sprouts. But I have to purchase a minimum of 30 berries, and they're highly perishable and the minimum order will cost me $90.

So the only answer: have a Flavor Tripping party. Who wants in?

[Ghoulish Delight]

I saw this story today too. And I'm totally up for it!

[Alex]

I heard about these on NPR a couple years ago (I recall exactly where we were but can't remember which show it was, my memory is weird -- we were on 92 out of Half Moon Bay, on the last switchbacks before Skyline) and they sounded pretty cool.

However, as a flavor I far prefer sour (I drink Real Lemon straight from the bottle) to sweet so I don't know that they do me any good other than as a novelty.

[tracilicious]

Fun! Can you get some before Saturday. ;)

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Oh, I'm sure it'd be a novelty for me, too. Who could afford keeping them stocked? But it'd be something fun to try once (or maybe, once a year if it's worth it.)

I wonder how quickly we could get them shipped? heh heh.

[mousepod]

Sounds cool! I'll kick in for the experiment.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Heyyyy! There's a nursery in Granada Hills that sells the berries!!

http://www.papayatreenursery.com/

[flippyshark]

Oh, this sounds like such fun. I hope I can find an East Coast source someday.

[BarTopDancer]

Sounds like fun!

Did they create a money tree too?

Ooo. the link that H found has them for $35 minimum order.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Oh, this sounds like such fun. I hope I can find an East Coast source someday.

There seem to be more Floridian sources than anywhere else in the country! Check out this list (http://www.miracletaste.com/index.php/topic,6.0.html)...

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Gaah - that local nursery is backordered, by two months.

[Snowflake]

Gaah - that local nursery is backordered, by two months.

In time for a cemetary screening or Hollywood Bowl event, perhaps?

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Perhaps! The NY source is also backordered, for about 30 days. So it's not like we'll taste them before, say, July.

[Prudence]

Maybe you should wait until August to try them......

[Chernabog]

I'm totally down for flavour-tripping. I wonder what effect it will have on bacon?

[Melonballer]

When I saw this thread I thought that it was going to be another one about bacon. Oh well this is good too.

[Chernabog]

Wait, bacon is a fruit?

[Morrigoon]

Here you can get your own plant: http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/synsepalum_dulcificum.htm

[Kevy Baby]

Wait, bacon is a fruit?Why not; beans are (the magical fruit).

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Has anyone mentioned what the berries themselves taste like?

[Kevy Baby]

Has anyone mentioned what the berries themselves taste like?chicken

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Why not; beans are (the magical fruit).

It's funny how some folk rhymes and songs are different from place to place. I grew up knowing them as the musical fruit (the more you eat, the more you toot. Which, by the way, has not been my experience as a vegetarian. Now, cauliflower...)

[Morrigoon]

Has anyone mentioned what the berries themselves taste like?

One site I read says they have very little flavor themselves.

[Alex]

Yeah, "magical" makes no sense in that rhyme. But it seems more people than not say it that way.

I've never noticed any correlation between specific foods and gasiness. I'm an equal opportunity farter.

[Ghoulish Delight]

It's funny how some folk rhymes and songs are different from place to place. I grew up knowing them as the musical fruit (the more you eat, the more you toot. Which, by the way, has not been my experience as a vegetarian. Now, cauliflower...)
I grew up with both "musical" and "magical". Also in the mix was, "...they're good for your heart. The more you eat, the more you fart".

[Ghoulish Delight]

Here you can get your own plant: http://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/synsepalum_dulcificum.htmThat link also notes, "Freezes whole for preservation"

[Kevy Baby]

It's funny how some folk rhymes and songs are different from place to place. I grew up knowing them as the musical fruit (the more you eat, the more you toot. Which, by the way, has not been my experience as a vegetarian. Now, cauliflower...)

Yeah, "magical" makes no sense in that rhyme. But it seems more people than not say it that way.It may also be a faulty memory and it might have really been Musical.




I'm an equal opportunity farter.Sometimes I think you strive to be the most quoted person on LoT (insert smilie here)

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

I'm the sort of person who is both dismayed and disturbed when I go to take a sip of Sprite and instead find I've just sipped water. I actually feel betrayed. So this may not be that fun for me. Consuming the berry and knowing what I'm in for may not shake that feeling of bone crushing disappointment.

I love exploring new things, and I want to succumb to the peer pressure, but I may not be the best test subject for this particular experiment. I like sour things because they are sour and sweet things because they are sweet and beer goodness because its beer goodness.

I am, however, very interested in what the actual berry tastes like. And I am curious to see if this works into people's dieting habits, or if parents will use them to fool their kids, etc. So...tempted.

It's funny. I like when things aren't what they appear to be. I like when I'm fooled by a sound or a touch. But taste? If it looks like a peach, feels like a peach, smells like a peach, I want the damn thing to taste like a peach.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I don't imagine that I'll come out preferring to eat like this, but I can't possibly resist it for the novelty.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I hate sour flavors, so I'm totally up for the experiment. If it can get me to eat sour foods, it's a miracle!

[Kevy Baby]

I wonder what it would make baby batter taste like?

[Chernabog]

I wonder what it would make baby batter taste like?

OMG we corrupted Kevy Baby!!! Oh wait, I already said that somewhere else.

[Kevy Baby]

OMG we corrupted Kevy Baby!!!Nope: I am just as pure and chaste as always!

[Alex]

Depends on how you're battering your babies. Beer batter, bread crumbs (herb, traditional, panko), or simply punching them.

[lashbear]

Depends on how you're battering your babies. Beer batter, bread crumbs (herb, traditional, panko), or simply punching them.
Drier than a Martini. That's Alex.

(visible Mojo, or do you accept the hidden kind as well?)

[Melonballer]

Babies huh?

Check this out.

Babycakes (http://ljconstantine.com/babycakes/page1.htm)

[Not Afraid]

The novelty would be fun for an hour or so, but I like all sorts of flavors....except green beans.

[€uroMeinke]

I wonder if we gave some to Thurston if cat poo would still taste good to him?

[Not Afraid]

I wonder if we gave some to Thurston if cat poo would still taste good to him?
http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/images/2008/05/28/12652366dsc00003.jpg

[Cadaverous Pallor]

http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/images/2008/05/28/12652366dsc00003.jpgI love this pic. The innocent face. The white fur. You'd never expect it!

[tracilicious]

Had some miracle fruit Friday night. Barry Egan's roomie got some online. It wasn't the actual berry, but a berry pill made of freeze dried powdered berries. We put them on our tongue and let them dissolve for a few minutes before eating anything sour. We tried the following:

Sour gummy warheads: tasted like sugary candy
orange juice: tasted like disgustingly sweet medicine
tangerine juice: tasted like a lot a sugar dissolved in a little water
lemons: so good!
beer: better than regular beer
cranberry juice: tasted like tea

We bought plain goat's milk yogurt, but forgot to try it. It was a fun experience. It would make a great party event. After reading reviews online, we were careful not to eat so much sour stuff that our mouths and stomachs hurt.

[cirquelover]

That sounds like a fun night/experiment! I'd completely forgotten about these, glad someone was able to try them. Thanks for letting us know.

[lashbear]

Had some miracle fruit Friday night. Barry Egan's roomie got some online. It wasn't the actual berry, but a berry pill made of freeze dried powdered berries. .
Sounds like these (http://www.miraclefruitplus.com/)

[RStar]

Did they forget to tell you about the unplesant side effect?


It's death.


Just in case any one was interested in knowing that.....


;)

[tracilicious]

Sounds like these (http://www.miraclefruitplus.com/)


Yep, that's it.