The Daily Surprise

According to Wikipedia, the Miracle Fruit Plant, sometimes known as Miraculous Berry, or Magic Berry (Sideroxylon dulcificum/Synsepalum dulcificum). This plant was first written about by an explorer called Des Marchais during a 1725 excursion to West Africa; the native country of the plant. Marchais noticed local tribes picking the berry from shrubs and chewed it before meals.

The berry is sweet, and contains an active glycoprotein molecule, with some trailing carbohydrate chains, called miraculin. When the fleshy part of the fruit is eaten, this molecule binds to the tongue's taste buds, causing bitter and sour foods (such as lemons and limes) consumed later to taste sweet. This effect lasts between 30 minutes and two hours. It is not a sweetener, as its effects depend on what is eaten afterwards, but has been used to sweeten bitter medicines.

David Barzelay said that "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."

He also wrote that, "Limes tasted like lime candy, lemons like lemonade, and meyer lemons and red grapefruit were some of the most tasty things I've ever eaten in my life. On the other hand, pineapples and kiwi were cloying, coffee was mostly unchanged, and wine was just plain disgusting."

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