The other day, my friend Eric gave me a funny look as we packed our backpacks up after class, his mouth slightly twisted and his eyes squinting, "My tongue feels funny," he said.
"Why?" I asked.
"I had pineapple earlier... I don't know." He shrugged.
"Ohh," I nodded, "yeah, that's why."
"Why what?"He laughed.
"That's why your tongue feels funny."
"Okay, but, why does pineapple make your tongue feel funny?" Eric wanted to know.
I had no answer. But, I promised to get him one. And, here we are.
Firstly, you must understand that pineapple has a high concentration of two combining protein-digesting enzymes that work together really well. As a team, these enzymes are called bromelain.
Now, a "protein-digesting" enzyme does pretty much exactly what it sounds like: it breaks down proteins. Proteins like steak, for example (turns out pineapple is actually a fantastic natural meat tenderizer) and proteins like, well... like your tongue.
It's a little creepy to consider that our tongues and a tough steak have a similar Kryptonite in Bromelain, but there is some good news. The human tongue regenerates the bonds that bromelain breaks down - so, there is no risk of a completely - ahem - tenderized tongue.
Though they might feel a little funny after eating pineapple, our tongues rebound nicely from a Bromelain Breakdown.
So, Eric, enjoy your serving of pineapple with this small dose of science.
