Synsepalum Dulcificum

On the second Friday of every month, EFN Lounge draws an eclectic crowd assembling for a common cause; synsepalum dulcificum. Commonly known as trippy fruit, this West African berry contains a glycoprotein molecule that binds to the tongue causing acidic and sour foods to taste sweet. My friend Mimi organized a group adventure, and frankly, I couldn't pass up this science experiment.

Usually I am not one to like surprises, particularly when it comes to edibles. I much prefer to know the taste and texture of my nourishment so I can preemptively send an expectation based on my other senses to my brain. Any dissonance caused by the inaccuracy of my signaled expectation results in a mental eruption to rival Vesuvius. But this idea, while unsettling, was still worthy enough of wasting a Friday evening in pursuit of sweet-toothed happiness.

Like all good scientists, I’ve documented my observations:

1. Set Up: The instruction manual for eating the berry such that you maximize its impact was too long. The whole production paralleled my middle school years spent attempting to master the art of tying maraschino cherry stems into knots with my tongue. And much like middle school, things fell apart in the execution. Somewhere between rolling the berry on my tongue, removing the skin with my teeth, trying to determine which pieces of the berry you’re supposed to eat, which pieces your supposed to dispose of, my mind received the common command: information overload, power down.

2. Experiment: The buffet of consumables at EFN Lounge included a variety of citrus fruits and unsettling beverages (vinegar, Tabasco sauce, soy sauce, etc.). I quickly filled my plate and whet my palate. While one New York Times report indicated that berry trippers became literally like wild animals, tearing apart everything on the table, I went for the more civilized approach, starting with something simple (lime wedge) and working my way up to the big ticket items (shot of vinegar). Overall, I found EFN’s website to be misleading. EFN indicated that lemon wedges become candy canes, hot sauce becomes donut glaze, goat cheese becomes cheesecake. My taste buds had a different experience – lemons tasted like lemonade, limes tasted like limeade, vinegar tasted like…vinegar. My conclusion: I either got lost in the how to or I got a placebo (my money is on the former) See 1. Set Up.

3. Effects: It is important to remember that the berry’s impact is limited to the taste bud. While to some, Tabasco sauce tasted like sugar water (let’s come clean, nobody thought hot sauce became donut glaze), there was no deceiving the rest of the digestive tract, beginning with the burning sensation in the back of the throat.

4. Conclusion: If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops, and if all the snowflakes were candy bars and milkshakes, I’d (a) not be standing outside with my mouth open wide and (b) have to guess Synsepalum Dulcificum was responsible.