Synsepalum dulcificum: The Miracle Fruit

Source: Journal of Healthy Living

"Carrie Dashow dropped a large dollop of lemon sorbet into a glass of Guinness, stirred, drank and proclaimed that it tasted like a 'chocolate shake.'

Nearby, Yuka Yoneda tilted her head back as her boyfriend, Albert Yuen, drizzled Tabasco sauce onto her tongue. She swallowed and considered the flavor: “Doughnut glaze, hot doughnut glaze!” (source)

How is this possible? One little red fruit. The miracle of Synsepalum dulcificum is that it amazingly changes sour and bitter to sweet and delicious. Maybe you've heard about it through the grape vine or seen it featured in an episode of CSI: New York. Whatever your source the fruit is making a comeback from the 70s when an attempt was made to commercialize it as a sugar-free diet alternative. Unfortunately, amid a haze of rumored conspiracy, the fruit was banned commercially as such by the FDA. That's not to say you can't buy it though, just not as an alternative to sugar or as a dietary supplement. The seeds are readily available online--albeit a bit expensive--and the plants are not overly challenging to grow. If you're just up for the experience and not so much the growing part then you can try packaged Miracle Frooties which are available from a number of vendors and directly from Sour2Sweet.com.

Watch the video below to learn more about one man's miracle fruit plant business and the reactions of two taste testers: