The problem with pine nuts

I was perusing Slashfood as I often do when I came across news about an odd malady: pine nut mouth. Apparently, when some people eat pine nuts, for a few days every food then tastes bitter or metallic. Pine nuts can make other food taste, well, off. Gregory Moller, a professor of environmental chemistry and toxicology at the University of Idaho, said there are so many different varieties of pine nuts "some of these species are mildly toxic to some people." Also, Slashfood pointed to a study that found that troublesome pine nuts may have been oxidized, "making them no longer fit for consumption."

The study, along with several anecdotal accounts, also points out that many cases of pine nut mouth occur after eating pine nuts imported from China.

But don't worry, pine nut mouth won't kill you, but it could corrupt your eating experience. Find out whether you are prone to this strange problem or whether you can throw in pine nuts willy-nilly in your salads, trail mix, etc.