from Grub Street San Francisco


Watch out or your sensitive gourmand palate could be lost for days.

"Pine nut mouth" — a mildly allergic reaction to Asian pine nuts which, until recently, had not been widely available in the U.S. — appears to be a growing phenomenon, reports the Oakland Tribune. The main symptom: a strongly bitter and metallic taste on the tongue after eating food that lasts for several days. The cause: imported pine nuts from China sold at Trader Joe's, Costco, and elsewhere. Trader's hasn't issued any warnings, but a European journal first reported the reaction back in 2001. [Oakland Tribune]

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Filed Under: health concerns, allergies, fyi, trader joe's