Food - Drink
The Unexpected Way Salt Affects The Taste Of Pineapple
By WENDY LEIGH
Whether enjoyed on its own or as part of a pineapple upside-down cake, pineapple is a delicious and refreshing treat, unless you’re one of the many people who experience a tingling or itchy tongue after eating this fruit. There’s an answer as to why this happens, plus a simple solution to keep you enjoying pineapple all summer long.
Pineapple is packed with nutrients such as vitamins C and B6, manganese, potassium, riboflavin, and iron, as well as bromelain, a digestive enzyme that can help relieve pain and reduce inflammation. However, bromelain is what causes that tingling tongue sensation, since it breaks down proteins while active in your mouth.
The simple solution is to sprinkle some salt on your pineapple, which deactivates the bromelain that eats away at your mouth. Before you worry about the taste of a salty pineapple, Eating Well reports that salt helps balance acidity in pineapple and can even intensify the fruit's sweetness, but you should still follow certain steps to avoid an overwhelming salty flavor.
To try this trick, simply soak pineapple pieces in a solution of one teaspoon of kosher salt to one cup of water and let it rest for a minute; or, you can rub salt directly on the pineapple and then rinse it well. If you're still not sold on salt, heat also deactivates bromelain, so you can try roasting or grilling your pineapple to avoid that tongue-tingling sensation.