Recently, buzz has been building about what has come to be dubbed “Pine Nut Mouth,†a syndrome in which pine nut ingestion can occasionally cause a bitter, metallic taste to linger in the mouth. Scientists aren’t quire sure whether this syndrome is caused by a special varietal of pine nut, the consumption of rancid pine nuts, or even pine nuts at all, but tales of Pine Nut Mouth have been circulating throughout the blogosphere transforming those who once loved the traditional pine nut and basil pesto into pesto-phobes.
Comfortingly, a recent article in USA Today reports that the Food and Drug Administration believes that the increase in feedback from pine nut consumers and the continued testing of pine nuts associated with this syndrome will help determine what’s causing the problem. More importantly, “Because Pine Nut Mouth is related only to taste, it’s not considered a public health problem,†FDA spokesman Michael Herndon reports.
Fortunately, Pine Nut Mouth only affects a very small percentage of those who consume pine nuts, and you can take steps to avoid Pine Nut Mouth. Always make sure your pine nuts are fresh, and only purchase pine nuts from reliable brands. Follow these two rules, and your pine nut pestos are sure to be delicious, and you are bound to be syndrome-free. Of course, if you want to be extra careful, you can always try making your pestos with walnuts or almonds. These alternate nuts are a delicious cure for pesto phobia. See our recipe for walnut pesto here.
