Astringency Isn’t A Flavor; It’s A Sensation!


Chokecherries (Prunus virginiana) — often overlooked by wild food enthusiasts — are known as “bitter” by those who don’t love them, though, to this day I’ve still not detected any bitter flavors in their fruits. In the seed kernel perhaps, due to the presence of prunasin, the compound that gives all of the stone-fruit seed kernels (like peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, domesticated cherries, almonds) a bitter almond flavor. But that’s a delicious taste, hardly an off-putting one. In fact, we love to make a dried “fruit leather” by crushing them with their seeds, laying the mash on a baking sheet and drying them in the sun.

The ripe fruit itself is pleasantly sweet with a luscious jelly texture that feels both nutritious and decadent.

Then, of course, there’s the dreaded astringency. It’s caused by the tannins present in the fruit pulp, which bind to proteins in your saliva causing them to precipitate in your mouth, leaving you with a “fuzzy” feeling on your teeth and a coarse, dry film on your gums. Think of eating an unripe banana, it causes a similar sensation.

Once you’ve eaten beyond that phase, chokecherries will start to turn your smile brown (temporarily, it washes off) as the salivary byproducts coat your teeth. Globs of tannin-bound saliva proteins can aggregate in the corners of your mouth and the pockets of your gums. It would all be pretty unpleasant if the chokecherries weren’t so damn good!

Their astringency is mellowed by ripening (and in particular, by a few days in the refrigerator where their sweetness also concentrates).

But, to my original point, this chemical reaction isn’t a “taste” or “flavor”, so it wouldn’t be fair to call them “bitter” or say they don’t taste good. It would be fairer to say “I don’t like the “sensation” of eating chokecherries (though I and the black bears would strongly protest).

I’m prone to eating dozens of handfuls of chokecherries at a time — straight from the tree — simply ignoring the tannic reaction and focusing on the wonderful flavor and texture. These, when fully ripe, are one of the greatest gifts on the North American landscape! Despite their ominous name, it won’t cause you to choke. It might, however, make you smile…. A big discolored brown smile that is! Bring a toothbrush!