Not Quite a Miracle

While watching United States of Tara via Netflix streaming, I was reminded of the Miracle Berry - a small fruit that, when chewed, alters sour (and bitter) foods so that they taste sweet.  It's apparently due to a molecule called 'miraculin', which binds to sweet receptors on the tongue and signals them when the pH is low (as with acidic foods).

Since I'm not eating sugary foods or alcohol during the month of September, I thought a little miracle berry could satiate my sweet tooth.  At least one cookbook author has even created a diet planusing the miracle berry, so it seemed plausible.

I hopped on Amazon (of course) and found tablets made from the berry called Miracle Frooties Tablets that were Prime-eligible, so placed an order and they arrived in a couple days.




I followed the instructions, rolling a tablet around in my mouth until it melted completely.  Then I went to the kitchen to find some sour and bitter things to try out.  I opted for a pickle, and a small glass of iced tea.


Sadly, the effect wasn't as pronounced as I'd hoped.  The pickle still tasted like a pickle, with a slight sweetness.  But it definitely didn't taste like I was eating a sweet dessert.  The tea also had an added sweetness, but was still plenty bitter.  I suspect the tablets just don't have the same power that the actual berries do, so I'll have to wait to give those a try sometime.