Signal boost: Pine Mouth

[darkemeralds]

Yesterday I noticed a bad bitter taste when I ate some yogurt. The container was newly opened, its expiration date way off in the future, and the yogurt smelled perfectly fine. Things like "Oh no! While I was out, someone slipped poison into my yogurt" and "Can we really trust US food safety and labeling standards anymore?" crossed my mind while I waited for stomach pains or seizures.

Nothing happened.

I ate some beef--also fresh and properly handled--and noticed the same nasty taste, somewhere north of grapefruit seeds on the bitterness scale, right at the back of my tongue.

Today I had a honeycrisp apple. Same thing. I started googling, thinking perhaps I've got some neurological disorder. Phantom tastes can be symptoms of diabetes and a couple of other conditions, none of which I have.

Turns out I've got Pine mouth! It comes from eating certain Asian pine nuts, though nobody has figured out exactly how it happens. You eat them, the bitterness develops two days later, and it lasts for up to two weeks.

While I'm grateful not to have a terrible neurological disorder or a bad case of Sneaky Paranoid Poisoning, I'm a little annoyed that all my food is going to taste like the bitterest bitterness that ever biled for the next two weeks.

And I guess I'll be making my pesto with walnuts in the future.

Comments

[darkemeralds]

If you care about food at all, you don't want this. It spoils all the fun of eating. And frankly, though this bitter taste seems to be the only effect, whatever's causing it can't be totally benign. I don't know if it's my imagination, but I feel a wee bit woozy.

I understand that pine nuts sourced in Italy and North America don't have this effect. Of course, they're terribly expensive. I love 'em, but I can live with other nuts.

[without_me]

One imagines it might be a useful diet aid. If one were interested in unhealthy means of weight loss.

[darkemeralds]

The thought crossed my mind! LOL