A Spacy Time with Fruit and Wine
A visit to the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland is a guaranteed trippy time with its always interesting starry exhibits.
But on the evening of Sunday, April 11, things get even more spacy when the Smithsonian affiliate teams with my buddy, winemaker Elaine Villamin of Eden Canyon Vineyards for a “miracle fruit” and wine party.
If you haven’t heard of miracle fruit, it’s a West African berry that has the wondrous ability to alter your taste buds so that sour and spicy foods can taste as sweet as candy. It’s become a hit at cocktail parties, where folks will gather to experience the legal, temporary effects of the berry while eating different foods. Scientists also are exploring positive medicinal uses for the berry.
At the Chabot event, you’ll get to explore the science of flavor, yourself, with miracle fruit as you taste a variety of foods and sip wines from Eden Canyon Vineyards, the first Filipino-American estate winery in the country. Enjoy an evening of star-gazing, too, with Chabot astronomers, weather permitting.
Tickets are $30.
Read about my first-hand experience with miracle fruit here.
Interesting–I wonder how miracle fruit would affect a wine tasting. Will all the wines seem very sweet?
How interesting–I think I may have read about this in the NYT over the last year. Don’t remember seeing a photo of them though–so prettY!
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Great question! In fact, last night, we tried our wines with miracle fruit. One wine was just horrible- it’s a dessert wine that became too sweet! All the other wines though, were different. They were fine to drink, but I noticed different flavors that I hadn’t before. Our NV “Suerte” which we’ve decided to pour is a trip. For those who attend, I would love to know what you think.
Tickets on sale until this Friday at midnight at http://www.edencanyon.com/buy
Here’s the updated menu:
MENU:
Miracle Fruit Menu: Chocolate, Kale/Chard, Peppercorns, Rosemary, Tobasco Sauce, Nuts, Potato Chips, Pretzels, Salami, Sea salt, Beef broth stock, Miso Glaze, Soy Sauce, Wasabi Peas, Worchester sauce, Lemon, Lime, Pickled Ginger, Sour cream, Vinegar, Apple, Honey, Jam, Sweet potato mash, Whipped cream
Dinner Menu from Red Lantern Restaurant: Indonesian “Pawon Salad†(fresh sliced cabbage and vegetables with organic coconut and Krachai Vinaigrette), Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Lumpia
Wines from Eden Canyon Vineyards:
2005 “Estate†Cabernet Sauvignon (primary barrels: American oak)
2005 “Reserve†Cabernet Sauvignon (primary barrels: French oak)
NV “Suerte†Red Wine
See you there to witness the miracle!
-Elaine
That’s really interesting. Now I am so curious I would really like to try this miracle fruit. Hope I can find it somewhere. Thanks for sharing, Carolyn. You always have interesting stuff to share.
So curious about this miracle fruit. I’ve seen it featured before on a show called Food Detectives and I’ve heard of people throwing miracle berry tablet parties. Sounds like a trip!
This sounds like so much fun. Too bad I will just be getting home from New York! I hope this will be so popular it will come back :o)
ahh, so that’s what a miracle fruit looks like. i have yet to actually taste it, but my husband says its amazing. he says if you eat the miracle fruit and you lick a sour lemon next, it will actually taste sweet!
I just love those miracle food, awesome experience!
That sounds like so much fun! 😀 I tried some Miracle fruit lollies and they were great!
A very neat experience! I’ve heard of miracle fruit but have never had a chance to try it!
What a cool idea. I have to say one of the things I am missing about living in DC is the Smithsonian Affiliates program, and I don’t even get to take advantage of it when its in my area. I’m going to have to read up on this miracle fruit.
There are so many miracle-fruit-wannabe today that I am already confused about…which is the real miracle fruit?
I’ve never head of miracle fruit before……and I’m from Nigeria. I’ll have to see this out when I go back home. I’d love it though, methinks