It’s Miraculin! Meet the Mberry.

It was almost two years ago when the Internet food scene first stumbled upon the Miracle Fruit. Suddenly the Synsepalum dulcificum was the popular girl at the party, introducing tastebuds around the world to delightfully new taste sensations.

When eaten the Synsepalum dulcificum (or Miracle Fruit, as it’s known colloquially) coats the tongue with an enzyme called “miraculin”. It has the singular effect of changing the way we perceive taste; bitter, sour, and strong tasting morsels become sweet. The fruit, from West Africa, found an instant market among the gastronomically curious. Tasting parties sprang up, with proprietors changing upwards of $20-$30 for entry; a single berry would be supplied per person, then the guests would be directed to a buffet of items to sample.

Fresh Miracle Berries are available online from mberry.us, but I was more curious about the mberry tablets that they were offering. The site mentions that each tablet is made up of the extract of 3 berries, they’re easier to ship and store, and costs come in a great deal lower than the raw fruit. It sounded like an interesting proposition so I ordered two packets.

They’ve just arrived, and the packages, at the very least, look quite professional. There’s a tasting guide and a sampler checklist included. With that, the flavour tripping shall begin! I’m going to work my way through each of the items on the check list, and I’ll report back here.