It's a miracle, hallelujah!!

Ever heard of Miracle Fruit? I first heard about them last year through the beau. I was hanging out at his work and his boss's husband brought in a small package of these red pods. He was having a party so he had ordered a bunch, but the beau cut one up for his boss and I to share. We chewed them for a few minutes and then spit them out. The beau then proceeded to give us each half of a lemon to eat. I like the sourness of a lemon but eating half is enough to pucker any one's mouth cat-ass style.

After chewing the miracle fruit the lemon tasted like a super sweet orange with sugar added! Apparently this African fruit contains a protein that tricks your sour taste buds into thinking you're actually tasting something sweet. This fruit used to be all the rage for awhile in Japan, with people bringing them to parties to freak the guests out. They were also popular as a diet food because sure, I'd rather eat a sugar sweet lemon than a huge slab of chocolate any day!! But actually, I think they were used more as an ingredient to cause bland low calorie foods to taste sweet. But still. Some amateur googling tells me there used to be a dessert place in Ikebukuro's Sunshine City that sold miracle-fruit laced cakes but it must have gone under as it's no longer in the directory.

Anyway the reason I brought this up is because the NY Times just did an article about it and seems like those crazy NYers are chewing miracle fruit like it's goin out of style. They are of course, upping the ante and eating all kinds of crazy shit like Tabasco sauce. I can see how it would be freaky deaky to think Tabasco sauce tastes like "hot doughnut glaze" and a trip to Krispy Kreme but how would your stomach/breath be the next day?!

That's right folks, Miracle Fruit! With just one of these puppies healthy desserts taste sweet!!

I think it may be time for a tasting party, but this time with something like umeboshi pickled plums. I remember when I did a homestay in high school here, all these junior high girls made me eat umeboshi because they got such a thrill from my reaction to their unrivaled sour taste. I'd love to turn the tables and have them try it after chewing miracle fruit!