When the new Asian food store opened nearby, I saw
these being sold in a two-pack, but failed to buy
them. When I went looking for them again, they were
gone. But recently, I saw them again, this time
in a three-pack.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siraitia_grosvenorii

They are sold in a plastic package like a form-fitting
shell around the dried fruit, which is about the size
of a cue ball.

The fruit has a thin, brittle shell. Inside is a
brown, hairy mass. Picking the mass apart, it mostly
flat seeds (which don't seem to be meant for eating)
surrounded by a brown pith-like material. This latter
material is intensely sweet, sweeter than sugar.

The Wikipedia entry claims it has some unpleasant
flavors, and Proctor and Gamble has a process to
separate the sweetness from these flavors. I don't
notice any unpleasant flavors. It seems like it
has a faint aroma of raisens, but is otherwise a
rather pure sweetness.

If you really wanted a sugar substitute, this might be
for you. I think it would be tedious to separate out
much of the pith from the seeds, though it's so sweet
that it might be worth doing. I think I'll try soaking
the sweetness out without separating the pith from
the seeds to see if that works.

I don't think I'll be buying it again. It was mostly
a curiousity, and I've still got two unopened ones to
show to interested parties. But if I had an important
need for a sugar-free natural sweetener, this stuff
would certainly be a candidate.

Sqwertz wrote:
>
> On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:05:27 -0600, Sqwertz wrote:
>
> > On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:00:57 -0800, Mark Thorson wrote:
> >
> >> But if I had an important
> >> need for a sugar-free natural sweetener, this stuff
> >> would certainly be a candidate.
> >
> > How would it be sugar-free?
>
> I didn't glance at the Wiki until now. It's virtually sugar free.

I didn't mean to imply there was absolutely no sugar
in it. :-)

Mark Thorson wrote:
>
> that it might be worth doing. I think I'll try soaking
> the sweetness out without separating the pith from
> the seeds to see if that works.

Interesting experiment. Within seconds, the water
started picking up color. Then I went to Thanksgiving
dinner. Two hours later, the water was as dark as
black coffee.

The water is quite sweet. The flavor is stronger,
now having a more woody flavor, kind of like ginseng.
I can see this flavor being described as unpleasant,
which I suppose is what the Proctor & Gamble patent
was about removing. If it were used in something with
a strong masking flavor such as coffee, it might be
acceptable. I think I'll have to try that. Not today,
though. I had two cups of coffee at dinner, and my
tinnitus has kicked up.

Mark Thorson wrote:
>
> The water is quite sweet. The flavor is stronger,
> now having a more woody flavor, kind of like ginseng.
> I can see this flavor being described as unpleasant,
> which I suppose is what the Proctor & Gamble patent
> was about removing. If it were used in something with
> a strong masking flavor such as coffee, it might be
> acceptable. I think I'll have to try that. Not today,
> though. I had two cups of coffee at dinner, and my
> tinnitus has kicked up.

No, I won't be trying that. The mild and subtle
unpleasant flavor is remarkably persistent. Even
hours later, I can taste it. Although I didn't
find it very objectionable at first, it's now
becoming increasingly annoying because of this
persistence. If I still taste it after I brush
my teeth, go to bed, and wake up tomorrow morning,
that will be the end of these experiments.

Apparently, the term "longevity" is a mistranslation
from the Chinese. "Long-term cloying" would have been
more accurate.

On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:41:25 -0600, Sqwertz wrote:

> On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:41:00 -0800, Mark Thorson wrote:
>
>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>>
>>> On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:05:27 -0600, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:00:57 -0800, Mark Thorson wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> But if I had an important
>>>>> need for a sugar-free natural sweetener, this stuff
>>>>> would certainly be a candidate.
>>>>
>>>> How would it be sugar-free?
>>>
>>> I didn't glance at the Wiki until now. It's virtually sugar free.
>>
>> I didn't mean to imply there was absolutely no sugar
>> in it. :-)
>
> You have to take the USDA approach and claim it's "Sugar Free PER
> SERVING". :-)
>
> -sw

try that with LSD sometime.

your pal,
blake