Miracle Berries and Flavour Tripping Parties
Sour and Bitter Foods Get a Sweet Makeover with this W.African Fruit
When Frenchman Chevalier Des Marchais discovered the so called miracle berry (botanical name Synsepalum dulcificum) in 1725 during a visit to West Africa, little did he know that he would be spawning one of the most unusual food trends in the 21st Century.
The berries have the ability to turn sour and bitter tasting foods sweet, which means lemons tend to taste like lemonade and bitter beers like Guinness like a chocolate shake. This is probably why Marchais noted that several local tribes munched on the berries before their meals - it probably improved its flavour.
How Do Miracle Berries Work?
According to an article in the New York Times, scientist Linda Bartoshuk from the University of Florida's Center for Smell and Taste believes the miracle component is a protein aptly titled 'miraculin'. When miraculin combines with the taste buds in automatically blocks the sour, bitter and acidic taste bud receptors hence acting as a sweetness inducer when in contact with these kinds of foods. However, this characteristic can last anywhere between 30 minutes to two hours and the berry needs to be thoroughly chewed before to ensure the best effect.
A New Food Trend
Today the almost illegal sounding 'flavour tripping' parties are the rage across North America. It involves chewing on the berry for a minute or two, stripping off the flesh and rolling it around the mouth before guests sit down to a buffet of contrasting ingredients - that could range anywhere from lemons, bitter beers, potato chips to pickles - and enjoy the altered flavours.
At tasting parties held at The Drake Hotel in Toronto (www.miraclefruittoronto.com) a ticket costs CAD$25 per head and includes two berries and the tasting food. On the Flavour Tripping blog (www.flavortripping.com) the parties are described as 'an ongoing series of Bacchanalian food tasting smackdowns' and are held once a month at undisclosed locations in NYC and San Francisco.
Where Can You Get Miracle Berries?
Faintly reminiscent of a cranberry in taste, the berries are highly perishable and last for only up to five days, which is why they tend to be expensive ranging from US$2 to CAD$5 per berry.
Miracle Fruit Man Curtis Mozie sells the berries through his website and lists what you need and how to use the berries for your own party. Grown in Florida, Mozie's company ships the frozen fruit with dry ice and recommends freezing them immediately on receipt and for no longer than a month.
Because they deteriorate so quickly, freeze-dried miracle berry tablets being marketed by a California-based company (www.miracleberrypill.org) are now gaining popularity. Each berry contains the 350mg of the extract (about three berries) making them more potent that a regular fresh berry and with a longer shelf life.
Flavour Swaps
Here are some alterations you can expect:
Vinegar = apple juice/treacle
Goat cheese = cheesecake
Cheap tequila = a smoother finish
Grapefruit = pixie sticks
Cheese = frosting
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