Now that the whole miracle-fruit fad has passed and Sechuan buttons never quite took off, foodies are surely looking for something else like durian or natto to assault their jaded taste buds. And Britain’s Daily Mail might just have the latest flavor trip: It’s a little thing called “pine mouth,” a phenomenon inexplicably experienced by some when they eat pine nuts: “Increasing numbers of people have reported that after eating pine nuts, typically as a snack or in a pesto sauce, they have developed a foul, metallic taste in their mouth lasting for up to two weeks, making practically all food and drink unpalatable.” Ick. Strangely, lab tests show that the nuts aren’t contaminated, and different people have different reactions even when they’re tasting from the same batch. An allergist says it isn’t allergies, either, though it may be that some are more sensitive to the nut’s oils when they’ve gone rancid. So, good luck!
Pine mouth puzzle: Why do these nuts leave you with a bitter taste? [Daily Mail via SlashFood]
