Jacob Grier: Coffee, Cocktails, Commentary & Conjuring

Jacob Grier

Coffee, Cocktails, Commentary, and Conjuring

February 4, 2007

Miracle fruit — I’m a believer!

[Update 3/30/07: Miracle fruit in the Wall Street Journal! Read about it here.]

A few days ago I received an invitation from my friend and EatFoo co-blogger David Barzelay to try some “miracle fruit.” According to rumor, this unusual fruit possesses an amazing property. Eating one temporarily alters one’s sense of taste, making sour, bitter foods taste sweet and delicious. People in West Africa, native home to miracle fruit, have reportedely used it for centuries to make their diets more palatable.

It’s also a literally forbidden fruit. Attempts to market it and its active protein miraculin to diabetics were mysteriously thwarted by the FDA in the 1970s, relegating miracle fruit to underground cult status. David, however, had found a source willing to ship a supply next day air to DC from Florida.

Given David’s history of practical jokes, I was skeptical at first. Miracle fruit? Works with “miraculin?” Sounded like just the kind of crazy thing he would make up. But if it was a joke, the Athananius Kircher Society was in on it too. So with barely a touch of trepidation, I told David I was in. Besides, if worst came to worst, “libertarian foodie dies eating fruit banned by the FDA” is about the most appropriate obituary headline I could ever imagine for myself, so there was really nothing to lose.

The miracle fruit party was last night. I arrived to find a group of twenty-five or so curious people, a spread of citrus items, and, wrapped up in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator, a bunch of little red fruits: the understated star of the show, miracle fruit.

They’re bright red, about the size of an olive, odorless, and just a little bit soft. The center is mostly pit. To get the most of them, David explained that we should chew the pulpy part for about a minute and coat as much of our mouth as possible with it. Then we’d be free to spit or swallow and experience the magic of miraculin.

We started out by taking a quick taste of lime, just to get a fresh impression of what lime tastes like. Then we passed around a plate of miracle fruits, all of us taking one like eager cultists taking punch. A minute went by as we swirled the stuff around in our mouths.

The fruit itself is mostly tasteless, though slightly sweet. The pit is surrounded by a weird, slick layer of pulp. It’s not bad to eat, but one would get bored with it pretty quickly. The true test came next, as we again sampled the lime. The result? Utter astonishment. The very same lime we’d tried moments before suddenly tasted like it had been dipped in sugar. All the stinging acidity was gone, leaving only the pleasing citrus and an amazing sensation of sweetness that left us craving more.

Our sense of taste completely transformed, we orgiastically began sampling everything we could get our hands on. Lemons tasted like lemonade. Meyer lemons tasted like the sweetest oranges. Grapefruits tasted awesome, and I don’t even like grapefruit. Goat cheese tasted like candy. Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout tasted bigger and sweeter than ever. (One of us had never had a stout before. After drinking stout with miraculin, every other will probably be doomed to disappoint.)

My own contributions were a beer and a coffee. The beer was Magic Hat’s Roxy Rolles seasonal ale, which kept its intriguing flavor while losing its normally hoppy bite. For my friend who doesn’t like hoppy American beers, the miracle fruit “fixed” it.

The coffee was Counter Culture’s Rwanda Karaba, which is well-balanced and boasts some rich fruit notes. This was the one thing that the miracle fruit didn’t seem to change much for me, except perhaps for a very slight increase in sweetness. One of the other guys was amazed that he was able to drink it black, but I’m not sure if that was the result of the miracle fruit or if he just wasn’t used to drinking really good coffee.

The bottom line: miracle fruit is amazing. Imagine a party of people chomping into lemons and limes with abandon, and you’ve got an idea of its power.

As miracle fruit devotees have noted, this produce ought to be more than just a foodie’s underground novelty item. Aside from being interesting on its own merits, it has practical applications. Before the FDA stepped in it received a warm reception among diabetics who were able to enjoy sweet flavors without worrying about their sugar intake. Dieters could use it to avoid items high in calories, which is how one dessert spot in Japan markets the stuff. In Japan it’s even being sold in tablet form now. In the US, I bet innovative restaurants would do well with a dessert course of miracle fruit, citrus, and cheese.

Alas, the FDA’s refusal to allow marketing of miracle fruit has kept it an unknown treasure. The exact reasons for the ban are unknown. Perhaps lobbyists from the sugar industry blocked its approval. Or perhaps it was for the children; the FDA feared miraculin would mask the taste of aspirin and other things that are toxic in high quanities, causing kids under its influence to chow down on them. This lengthy article on miracle fruit says that miracle fruit doesn’t actually have that effect. Aspirin wasn’t on our tasting menu last night, but I believe it. The article also presents a lot of other evidence that the fruit is completely safe.

But who cares about the sugar industry? Who cares about the children? I’m not sure exactly what the FDA ban entails, whether it’s on all sales, all marketing, or just marketing as a sugar substitute. In any case, miracle fruit is awesome. Everyone should be able to try the stuff. A fruit this fun deserves a wider audience.

[Cross-posted on EatFoo.]

Update: Abi has photos.

Update 3/5/07: Recaps from Abi and David.

Update 7/8/08: I’ve now tried the miracle fruit tablets, which are easier to handle, and reviewed them here.

Posted by Jacob Grier at 1:15 pm in Food and Drink| Miracle Fruit
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Comments (32) Trackbacks (19)


Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. Miracle Fruit — I’m a believer!

    A few days ago I received an invitation from my friend and EatFoo co-blogger David Barzelay to try some “miracle fruit.” According to rumor, this unusual fruit possesses an amazing property. Eating one temporarily alters one’s sense of taste, making…

    Trackback by Eat Foo — February 4, 2007 @ 1:18 pm

  2. Post-Rapture Miracle Fruit Recap

    Miracle fruit is not mind-blowing, but it’s very, very cool. If you have the choice, go for the magic mushrooms, but otherwise miracle fruit is one of the weirdest food-induced experiences one can have. It’s like some weird new…

    Trackback by Eat Foo — February 5, 2007 @ 1:01 am

  3. […] A cool thing about the “miracle fruit,” a berry forbidden to Americans by the FDA that transforms the taste of bitter fruit. (tags: interesting weird cool) […]

    Pingback by links for 2007-02-06 « Musings of a Chicagoan — February 6, 2007 @ 1:29 am

  4. All Kinds of Good News

    View larger image Stopped by at Effect Measure to get the latest avian flu news, since I’m leaving for rural China in three weeks, only to find this hysterical piece of information — a person can get quite a…

    Trackback by Dakota — February 7, 2007 @ 8:31 pm

  5. Free the Mircale Fruit!

    My friend Jacob Grier has created an online stir with his post about the wonders of the Miracle Fruit.It's a…

    Trackback by The Agitator — February 11, 2007 @ 1:29 pm

  6. Miracle fruit in the WSJ

    Today’s center column on the front page of the Wall Street Journal is all about this blog’s favorite berry, miracle fruit. I held a tasting of the fruit for friends a few weeks ago. In a weird sequence of events,…

    Trackback by Eat Foo — March 30, 2007 @ 8:10 am

  7. […] Fruit that makes lemon juice taste like lemonade? That makes a stout taste like a milkshake? Sound like science fiction? Well, it’s science fact. Jacob Grier, my friend and former neighbor, who runs the always-interesting Eternal Recurrence, first alerted me to the curious properties of this miraculous fruit here. The Wall Street Journal wrote up Jacob’s latest Miracle Fruit party and he tells you how to acquire your own here. […]

    Pingback by Miracle Fruit at Punditry by the Pint — March 31, 2007 @ 2:39 pm

  8. […] Jacob Grier and David Barzelay post their personal accounts of the experience, and The Guardian highlights its use for diets in Japan. For a lot more information, check out this history of the miracle berry. […]

    Pingback by nickbaum.com » Blog Archive » Miracle Berries — April 5, 2007 @ 3:38 am

  9. […] Fruit ミラクルフルーツ Jump to Comments Note: If you don’t know what miracle fruit is, read this first. And this. And maybethis. […]

    Pingback by Miracle Fruit ミラクルフルーツ « — April 26, 2007 @ 6:06 am

  10. […] Si chiama Miracle Fruit (nome scientifico: Synsepalum dulcificum) e, sebbene non abbia un sapore particolare, ha l’effetto di alterare il gusto di chi lo mastica al punto da sfalsare completamente gli altri sapori. In particolare, pare che questo bizzarro frutto riesca a renderne meno aspri al gusto agrumi come il limone o il lime, o bevande come la birra, trasformandoli al contrario in sapori più dolci e piacevoli. Vietato negli anni Settanta dalla Food and Drugs Administration americana per le sue controindicazioni nell’alimentazione dei diabetici, è oggi meno facile da trovare, ma c’è chi si è divertito recentemente a metterlo sotto test con vari alimenti, scoprendo, per esempio, che non ha effetto sul sapore di bevande come caffè e vino, oppure che esaspera (fino a renderlo disgustoso) il sapore di frutti come l’ananas e il kiwi. […]

    Pingback by Strange PlaNet - Il frutto che altera i sapori — April 29, 2007 @ 6:43 pm

  11. […] It will make lemons taste like lemonade, and goat cheese take like the sweetest candy. In the underground eating circuit, people throw ‘miracle fruit’ parties where they lay out a whole smorgasboard of bitter and unappetizing snacks. But after they take a swig of Synsepalum dulcificum, they go to town like its the most delicious food they’ve ever tasted. […]

    Pingback by Miracle Berry | Cool Things In Random Places — January 6, 2008 @ 2:44 pm

  12. […] my guess as the next hot ingredient in kitchens worldwide>? It’s not my friend Jacob’s miracle fruit. It’s the finger lime — also known as citrus caviar. They’re native to Australia, […]

    Pingback by Crispy on the Outside » Archive » Next Big Thing in Food: Australian Finger Limes — February 13, 2008 @ 9:13 pm

  13. […] diners’ palates upside down. Jacob attended a miracle fruit party about a year ago, where he investigated the rumor the …unusual fruit possesses an amazing property. Eating one temporarily alters […]

    Pingback by Crispy on the Outside » Archive » Miracle Fruit Turns Sour Sweet, Blogger into Star — April 29, 2008 @ 7:36 am

  14. […] cooled hood what ballast would you go with? Some info on the plant; Blog entry about trying it: Jacob Grier: Coffee, Cocktails, Commentary, and Conjuring Miracle fruit Im a believer! Buy the plant and some info on it: http://www.TopTropicals.com - rare plants for home and garden Wiki: […]

    Pingback by Miracle Fruit - Marijuana Growing — May 12, 2008 @ 2:02 am

  15. […] Here are a couple first hand experiences from around the net. Leave a […]

    Pingback by SideDish » Blog Archive » Miracle Fruit Makes Everything Taste Sweet — May 28, 2008 @ 2:18 pm

  16. Berry Berry Weird…

    Question: Who takes a pint of Guinness, plunks in a scoop of lemon sorbet, belts it back, and rhapsodically calls it a “chocolate shake?” Answer: The guy sitting next to the girl who’s shaking Tabasco straight from the bottle onto…

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  17. […] My friend Jacob Grier has created an online stir with his post about the wonders of the Miracle Fruit. […]

    Pingback by The Agitator » Blog Archive » Free the Miracle Fruit! — June 2, 2008 @ 2:04 pm

  18. Miracle Fruit-I’m aBeliever…

    I must say I’m amazed at what the miracle fruit can do. I haven’t tried it yet, but maybe I can track down a source. Jacob Crier tells it best on his blog article http://www.jacobgrier.com/blog/archives/632.html#comment-349450
    So thanks ag…

    Trackback by Troy's Miracles A BLOG OF PERSONAL STORIES OF MIRACLES, HOPE AND THE UNEXPLAINED — July 5, 2008 @ 10:18 am

  19. […] you could try this miracle fruit that seems to make things that don’t taste all that good suddenly taste […]

    Pingback by Wowie, a NATURAL Viagra? « Margaret Schaut — July 5, 2008 @ 2:41 pm


Comments

  1. Did any of you save the pits to try and germinate?

    Comment by Sherri — February 7, 2007 @ 4:15 am

  2. When I was a kid living in Denmark in the 70’s my dad had this friend who was trying to market ‘miracle berries’ commercially in tablet shape. He gave our family some test samples in blister packs which I used to steal from our kitchen.

    Just at that time me and my pals were heavily into candy, using our pocket money and lunch breaks to sneak outside school to purchase bags full; it was always a matter of status who could afford the most.

    So I gained a whole lot of notoriety dispensing this unknown potion to the select few; something new that could elevate our sugar fixation to the sublime.

    Sure, bragging that it was made from some obscure African berry and probably unavailable elsewhere in the Western world didn’t exactly hurt my reputation either. Well, for a short time at least, I only managed to score a dozen of the pills or so.

    But I remember the effect vividly, and it really was a very funny experience.

    At the time there was a craze for “suicide” drops, which were extremely sour, salt, hot, ammonium-chloridic, etc., just all manner of ‘dare-ya’ tastes. Mixing these and enhancing the experience further by chewing miracle tablets beforehand amounted to a virtual tastebud-trip to us 12-year olds (well, actually it kind of mellowed it out a bit by sweetening it, but hey, we survived!).

    Well, of course my dad’s friend’s scheme didn’t go much further (I can see now why he failed to attract any investors; as a sugar substitute it definitely overreaches, and besides, how to market something that basically alters your perceptions?).

    This is the first time I’ve heard mention of the Synsepalum dulcificum plant since then, so many thanks for bringing back those sweet (and slightly psychedelic…) childhood memories.

    Comment by Jan Walløe — February 7, 2007 @ 8:48 pm

  3. I have started a message board called Miracle Taste for the discussion of miracle fruit — where to get it, how to grow it, recipes, stories, etc.

    http://www.miracletaste.com/

    Please check it out and post something. Hopefully it can grow into a great community for miracle fruit lovers.

    Comment by Riley McArdle — February 8, 2007 @ 4:08 pm

  4. i would like to try it,where can i buy some?

    Comment by howard pitts — February 18, 2007 @ 6:16 am

  5. has anyone tried soaking the leaves in hot water and drink it? I’ve tried, and seemed to get some stimulant effect, like more energy and appetite suppressant.

    Comment by has — March 4, 2007 @ 12:26 am

  6. I saved the pit and planted it this morning. Apparently according to wikipedia it has around 20% chance of germinating. But it takes 8-10 yrs. for the tree to bear fruit! So if it works, plan on another tasting party. For hmmm. 2017?

    Comment by Erin — March 10, 2007 @ 11:12 am

  7. April Fools!?

    Comment by dar dobs — March 31, 2007 @ 9:53 am

  8. Here’s a list I made of what worked, and what didn’t on Miracle Fruit.

    http://recueilli.blogspot.com/2007/03/miracle-fruit.html

    Hopefully, it helps you when trying it for the first time.

    Comment by Rich — April 7, 2007 @ 2:11 pm

  9. Miracle fruit is exactly what it is miracalous. I live in Freeport,Bahamas and when I was first given this berry to taste I was skeptical AWESOME

    Comment by Stephanie McCartney — April 26, 2007 @ 2:21 pm

  10. I have just opened a site to sell miracle fruit products world wide from australia.
    http://www.miraclefruitshop.com
    I have tryed the fruit and have also started growing the plants so will try to answer any questions micheal.webber@bigpond.com

    Comment by mick — June 6, 2007 @ 9:21 am

  11. i have 200 miracle fruit plant with me in malaysia.donot hesitate to call me
    6012-2337937.tq.

    Comment by wanpa shapien — June 6, 2007 @ 3:40 pm

  12. Nice to meet you.
    Our company is a company in Japan that sells the miracle fruit tablet.
    The distributing agent is recruited all over the world now.
    In this commodity, it is only in Japan that sells with the commodity that took
    the world patent in 2006.
    Our company plans to sell it in all parts of the world in the future.
    It is effective, and a very safe commodity to the diabetic and dieting.
    The cafe of the miracle fruit is made, too and it is very popular in Japan.
    Please E-mail an interesting person.

    info@ks2000system.com

    Comment by ks-system — June 14, 2007 @ 5:09 am

  13. I have just brought freeze-dried miracle fruit back from Japan with me.
    please email me at: goodensnake@hotmail.com if you would like to buy some.

    Comment by claire — September 6, 2007 @ 4:05 pm

  14. reallly need a chemical composition of th miracle fruit.

    Comment by lydia cletus — September 13, 2007 @ 7:57 pm

  15. Hi I am selling Miracle Fruit in the UK and Europe, please visit http://www.miraclefruit.co.uk/ for more info

    Comment by Chas — September 24, 2007 @ 5:39 pm

  16. I’m currently selling the fruit here:
    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260163560529&_trksid=p3907.m32&_trkparms=tab%3DSelling

    Comment by claire — September 25, 2007 @ 3:03 pm

  17. Hi, I’m a believer too, I’m also growing trees. I live in Puerto Rico so the weather is good for them. I would like to know more about why the FDA banned it.

    Comment by maggie — October 3, 2007 @ 9:55 pm

  18. Hi I am selling Miracle Fruit in the UK and worldwide, please visit http://www.miracleUK.info/ for more info and the best prices.

    Comment by Tim — December 2, 2007 @ 6:09 pm

  19. I sell fresh miracle fruit in the US. It is picked and shipped fresh from Florida. The price it $1.50 per fruit plus shipping (usually $16.25). I can be reached at miracle[@]ethanbradley.com.

    Comment by Ethan — March 11, 2008 @ 3:45 pm

  20. Hi

    It is a very nice and great post and I like it.

    Comment by Θεμις Μαντζαβινος — April 25, 2008 @ 8:30 am

  21. Hello,

    I am currently selling Miracle Fruit tablets (from Japan) over ebay or direclty at berry.miracle@gmail.com (7.99 GBP with shipping + 6 GBP each additional box if you order directly and mention you saw my post here:). I am not planning to do a serious business out of it; that’s why the price is more than reasonable..

    Search on ebay.co.uk: “miracle fruit berry”.

    Thanks!

    mirberry

    Comment by MirBerry — April 30, 2008 @ 1:04 pm

  22. First the Wall Street Journal, now the New York Times gets in on the miracle fruit story.

    http://tinyurl.com/3rsq9r

    As far as I know, the Times doesn’t actually mention your party.

    Comment by Ben — May 28, 2008 @ 6:42 am

  23. some videos on my site,

    we selll the latest evolution of Miracle Fruit

    We Airmail world wide from the UK.

    Guaranteed Lowest price and first to receive English packing world wide.

    Comment by AcoTech — June 7, 2008 @ 8:47 pm

  24. miracle fruit tablets

    Comment by AcoTech — June 7, 2008 @ 8:47 pm

  25. selling tablets,

    updated website

    http://www.tastetrips.com

    Comment by TasteTrips — June 12, 2008 @ 2:18 pm

  26. MIRACLE FRUIT TABLETS CAN BE PURCHASE HERE IN US. THEY HAVE IT IN STOCK AND SHIP IMMEDIATELY.
    http://www.miraclefruittab.com/
    ONLY $14 for 10 tablets

    Comment by tntredtag — June 13, 2008 @ 1:54 pm

  27. i know this website selling miracle fruit tablet for low price. http://www.miraclefruittab.com. I recommended this site cuz i bought some tablets from this site already.

    Comment by karen smith — June 13, 2008 @ 2:06 pm

  28. http://www.synsepalum-dulcificum.net/

    Comment by miracleberrytablets — June 22, 2008 @ 12:02 pm

  29. We are now manufacturing the Miracle Fruit tablets in the USA under FDA and GMP standards, If you want to be a reseller anywhere in the world, contact us at http://www.buymiracleberry.com

    Comment by Paul — June 26, 2008 @ 5:15 pm

  30. I found this website that ships miracle fruit tablets worldwide from 3.99, Gotta say i tried them and was shocked how well they work!! http://www.berrytrip.co.uk

    Comment by Tom p — June 26, 2008 @ 5:59 pm

  31. This is the first time I have heard about the “Miracle Fruit”.
    Sounds like something to try. As I am forever on a diet and my weakness is sweets. I will writing a blog entry on the “miracle fruit” at http://troysmiracle.com

    Thanks for sharing
    Meg

    Comment by Meg McNeal — July 5, 2008 @ 9:50 am

  32. Just received my pack from http://www.miraclefruitworld.com/, lightning fast shipping and great prices! Recommended!

    Visit their site for a list of foods and some recipes, my favorite are old plain strawberries (so sweet!).

    Thanks!

    Jeff

    Comment by Jeff — July 6, 2008 @ 3:46 pm

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