Fruta Milagrosa

As you can imagine there is an incredible variety of tropical fruits in Latin America that many in the U.S. will never have the luxury or luck to try. Quite often, I am introduced to a new, interesting fruit. Not too long ago, I was in the local MAG office, when my friend Carlos, one of the MAG workers wanted to show me a fruit called Fruta Milagrosa (Miracle Fruit, also called Fruta Mágica (Magical Fruit)). Enthusiastically he explained to me that after eating one of these small fruits, which are about the size and shape of a blueberry, all foods that I eat will have a sweetish taste to them. The fruit is also similar in appearance to coffee. The fruit grows on a small bush. I’m not sure if this particular bush will grow much taller but it is currently about 3 feet tall. The fruit tastes similar to a sourer blackberry and has a seed inside.

As Carlos has a propensity to exaggerate, I skeptically believed him and ate the fruit. About 15 minutes later, I went to eat lunch in La Amistad. I had already forgotten that I had eaten the so called “fruta milagrosa” earlier, as I had put little belief into what Carlos had told me, as it sounded like something from a Lord of the Rings movie.

I put a good amount of “chilero” on my food because I like the spicy taste. I don’t have a weak tongue. I took my first bite of rice and beans and I was surprised by the fact that today, lunch had a sweet taste to it. I definitely didn’t notice any of the chile that I had poured on. I could literally eat the seeds of a hot chile pepper and not have any burning sensation. After a few more bites, I then remembered that I had eaten the Fruta Milagrosa, which must be the reason for the pleasant fruity taste to my food. Carlos didn’t exaggerate after all. This fruit, among many others that I have had the pleasure to eat here in Costa Rica, is definitely unique and unlike any other fruit that I have eaten in the U.S.