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It goes by the name of synsepalum dulcificum, also known as the Miracle Fruit. It’s a red berry that grows in Batangas, and while it doesn’t cure illnesses or give you special powers, it can make anything sour taste sweet. Imagine: Ketchup would taste like tomato jam, and tap water like soda. There’s no sneaky trick to it. Science does all the work.

The pulp of the berry has a protein called miraculin, and what it does is coat the sweet receptor on your tongue. As a result, it turns whatever you ingest into a sugary treat for a good 30 minutes.

I got to try it the first time in a special dinner where mixologist Kalel Demetrio provided original drinks in. He had us bite into a fresh sour lemon, eat the miracle fruit for a chaser, and then bite a lemon again. True enough, the lemon tasted like lemon drop candy. Amazing!

So here’s a trick — a healthy one. Instead of reaching for a candy bar, eat a miracle fruit followed by carrot sticks and you get the same sweet satisfaction without the sugar overdose.

For orders, contact Kalel Demetrio at +63 917 9997572.

Photo: Miraclefruithut.com

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