Originally published at: These food ingredients make your mouth feel numb, shocked, or buzzed with a vibrator | Boing Boing
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I grew buzz buttons once. They’re pretty flowers and very interesting to chew. In addition to making your mouth tingle, they change your perception of taste. I remember they affected sour/citrus a lot - make a sour (or some lemonade). Sip the drink to experience the taste, chew a buzz button, and then sip the drink again. Totally different flavor the second time.
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Apparently my friend gave me a tiny bag of Sichuan pepper. Due to the language barrier she had bought way too much while visiting China and gave tiny bags to her friends. However, she didn’t remember what were they called. So the contents were a mystery to me. But now I know what they are. Mouth going numb was indeed a good description what they do.
I have been throwing them in my cup noodles. It’s always fun when the pepper finds its way in your mouth.
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Several years ago when I was airbnb-ing for a while, my place became a nexus for women from China who were undergoing IVF treatment at a nearby fertility clinic (which was apparently like the best in the US). One of them who stayed for nearly a month introduced me to Szechuan pepper in the form of these little bags of peanuts with Szechuan pepper seasoning. Really a cool sensation!
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Gong pao ji dian. Bite sized chunks of chicken stirfried with chopped spring onion, chilli, peanuts and loads of Szechuan pepper in a delicious sauce. After discovering that I think I had it for lunch every day for about 6 months. I think the expression is comfortably numb.
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We’ve grown buzz buttons (aka toothache plant) for a few years. We like to introduce friends to them—always a great reaction when they first feel the tingle. Plus they stimulate saliva production, so everyone gets all drooly.
I’ve used them as a garnish for a cocktail with silver tequila, Suze, and lemon. My girlfriend named it The Electric Kiss.
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That drink sounds like a perfect pairing!
Most of my friends don’t understand why I like the toothache plant, but I appreciate the safe opportunity to alter one of my senses for a few minutes
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Timut pepper is another one with a weird zingy feel in the mouth. It has a strong grapefruit flavour as well as beat, then the feeling that your tongue is being given small electric shocks. I discovered it in a cocktail and it was bizarre - not unpleasant, not normal though.
It comes from Nepal and apparently it is used in several Nepali dishes.
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I prefer my numbed shocked buzzed mouth feelings to be produced in the laboratory
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There’s a drink in Star Wars land’s cantina with a foam on top made from something like this. Fun idea for an alien drink.
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