Miracle berry a question of taste

IT LOOKS unremarkable but the so-called miracle fruit can drastically change food taste.

The small, red berry transforms the most sour foods into delightfully sweet treats.

The plant was first documented in 1725 when explorers discovered West African tribes chewing the fruit before meals.

Now, miracle fruit has arrived in Australia and was the focus of two parties at Sydney nightclub ivy this month.

The Australia and New Zealand distributor of the freeze-dried fruit tablet, Elliot Shepherd, 25, said he initially bought the tablets from China over eBay in order to hold his own flavour-tripping party at his Bondi Junction home.

When that was a success, Mr Shepherd began importing the tablets - marketed here as Miracle Frooties and sold in packets of 10 pills for $30 - from Slovenia with the intention of distributing them to venues around the region.

At ivy, bar manager Mikey Enright presented about 100 guests at two sessions with a single tablet, followed by an array of food and alcoholic drinks to sample, including assorted citrus wedges, Tabasco, balsamic vinegar, strawberries, and stout beer, which is meant to resemble a chocolate milkshake.

Mr Enright received more than 200 inquiries after sending out a Facebook invite to the event.

Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton said an amino acid known as histidine in the berry was responsible for changing flavours, but there were no nutritional benefits. "It's only a miracle because of its taste properties, so no one should be eating it thinking it is doing them any good," she said.