Q. Both my husband and I ate pine nuts last Sunday. On Tuesday we both began to experience a horrible bitter taste. Now, nothing tastes good. Mint tea is the only thing that doesn’t taste bad.
Reading on your site that some pine nuts can cause this problem was helpful. I think it is imperative that we tell the grocer where we got the nuts about this problem.
A. Pine nuts are a delicacy that has been treasured for thousands of years. Native Americans prized pine nuts for their taste and nutritional value.
There are at least 20 different species of pines that produce nuts people eat. In Europe they are popular in pesto, salads and desserts such as baklava.
“Pine mouth” or “pine nut mouth” is a taste disturbance that can be triggered by eating nuts from Chinese white pine (Pinus armandii). The unpleasant metallic taste can last for days or weeks but eventually goes away. Although the underlying cause of this mysterious disorder has not been determined, researchers have suggested that chemicals used in the processing of these Chinese pine nuts might contribute to the taste disturbance (Journal of Toxicology, online, March 10, 2011).
