SAN FRANCISCO, California — A small berry packing an odd protein might seem like a bizarre occasion for a party, but the miracle fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, is no garden-variety berry.
Native to West Africa, the berry contains the protein miraculin, which binds to the sweet receptors on your taste buds and sets them off under acidic conditions. The net effect is that acidic edibles, like lemons, taste sweet.
Or so the story goes.
Tales of the berry’s "miraculous" power to transform your taste buds have begun to spread far and wide. The fruit has garnered fawning press over the last year, gracing the pages of the T he New York Times and the book, The Fruit Hunters.
All the acclaim left us wondering: sure, it might work, but is it really such a big deal?
So yesterday, I took a trip to the SoMA eco-club Temple Bar for San Francisco’s first flavor tripping party to investigate the phenomenon myself.
Is the berry’s effect exaggerated or the real deal? It’s safe to say the miracle fruit works, but its powers aren’t infinite. Bad tequila, for example, remains bad tequila, even while you’re "tripping."
Check out the (shaky, homemade, funny) video yourself for the full story.
See Also:
New Craze: Flavor Tripping Parties
WiSci 2.0: Alexis Madrigal’s Twitter , Google Reader feed, and webpage; Wired Science on Facebook.
