Health Concerns

Beware of Chinese Pine Nuts

Watch out or your sensitive gourmand palate could be lost for days.
Watch out or your sensitive gourmand palate could be lost for days. Photo: Kitchn.com

“Pine nut mouth” — a mildly allergic reaction to Asian pine nuts which, until recently, had not been widely available in the U.S. — appears to be a growing phenomenon, reports the Oakland Tribune. The main symptom: a strongly bitter and metallic taste on the tongue after eating food that lasts for several days. The cause: imported pine nuts from China sold at Trader Joe’s, Costco, and elsewhere. Trader’s hasn’t issued any warnings, but a European journal first reported the reaction back in 2001. [Oakland Tribune]

Beware of Chinese Pine Nuts