What is Pine Nut Syndrome

I had a very strange thing happen to me this past week.

Every time I drank something or took a bite of anything

I experienced this awful bitter taste in my mouth.

I remarked one night after dinner to the pipeliner

that this "problem" 

was driving me bonkers!

He thought maybe I was coming down with a cold.

Both him and little man had been dealing with one.

The next night after a dinner, a meal I could barely eat, I decided to "google"

bitter taste in my mouth.

I read through the titles that popped up on my computer screen.

But one title really stood out.

Pine Nut Syndrome

People suffering from a constant bitter or metallic taste as a result of eating pine nuts.

Wow!

I was on to something!

This is what I had made earlier in the week:

A big batch of fresh pesto!

Those little things up in the right hand corner, pine nuts!

I kept on reading different articles about this strange syndrome.

The adverse reaction can develop suddenly and inexplicably within 12 to 48 hours after consuming the nuts.

It can happen out of the blue,

even to people who have previously had no adverse reaction.

It does  not seem to matter whether the pine nuts are raw or roasted.

It does not seem to matter whether three nuts are consumed or a handful.

The syndrome does not involve mold or any bacteria on the nuts.

It is not an allergy to them either.

Right now it just seems to be a mystery.

However most of the nuts that people have a reaction to come from China, and the Chinese species of white pines called

Pinus armandii.

The Food and Drug Administration is aware of the problem.

They even posted a page on Pine Mouth and the Consumption of Pine Nuts in March of 2011,

when there was a lot of reported cases.

Their report states the bitter taste can last between a few days, to 2 weeks, or as long as a month.

They also go on to say it is exacerbated by consumption of any other food during this period. 

Also refrain from sugary foods.

Sugar enhances the bitterness.

Nobody seems to know why it happens,

but it is not supposed to be dangerous.

Just very annoying!

I thought I would pass this along because this is the time of the year

we are busy harvesting our basil crops.

Getting ready to make that pesto for the freezer.

I guess this batch is going in the garbage!

It was so good too!

After all I did quite a bit of taste testing.

And now my taste tester will be out of whack for a week or 2!

I hope this post helps somebody else who developed this strange sensation!

Liz

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