Miracle fruit
Synsepalum dulcificum · Tropical fruit
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Miracle fruit is the small red berry of Synsepalum dulcificum, a West African evergreen shrub. The pulp itself is only mildly sweet and faintly tart, but it coats the tongue with a glycoprotein called miraculin that makes sour and acidic foods taste intensely, lingeringly sweet for up to an hour or two afterward.
Picking a good onedrag
Scarlet, taut, at full strengthWrinkled, weeping, spent
A day or two onStill worksStill effective, and still only masking. Lemons, vinegar and hot sauce that taste sweet under it are as acidic as ever on tooth enamel and on a sore stomach.
Colour and skinStill fully red, the shine flattening, skin smooth and unbroken
The giveSofter under the thumb, still holding its shape
SmellAlmost no smell, which is normal for this berry