The Problem with Pine Nuts

I have had this HORRIBLE bitter taste in my mouth for 2 days now,  I was afraid it was because of the Salmon steaks I had for dinner. Of course like many problems that I have questions about...... I Googled it. I could not believe my eyes two whole pages were about "bitter metal taste" due to................PINE NUTS?

So, it was not the salmon.......that's good news!

It was the pine nuts in my new Orzo salad, that I ate with my salmon.
I do not want to give these little glorious expensive little nuts a bad wrap.  I just would like people to know that if they have this taste in their mouth, due to pine nuts.........it will go away. Remember, not all pine nuts will do this either, just pine nuts that are oxidized and know they will taste fine until 1-3 days later. 

So please don't stop eating pine nuts or pesto, just make sure you buy quality and not bulk!

From the web-page that I liked the best:

    Apparently, if you are one of the lucky people who runs into a bad pine nut or two, you could develop the taste disturbance that I am experiencing right now.  There’s a scientific article about it and it’s even mentioned in the Wikipedia entry on Pine Nuts:

The eating of pine nuts can cause serious taste disturbances, developing 1-3 days after consumption and lasting for days or weeks. A bitter, metallic taste is described. In general, a minority of pine nuts on the market present this problem. Though very unpleasant, there does not seem to be a real health concern. — Wikipedia

I still love this salad I created:

Orzo Salad


2 cups of orzo (uncooked)
1 cup of chopped Fresh spinach
3 Tbls of Pesto
1/2 cup of chopped sun dried tomatoes
1/3 cup of klamata olives chopped
1/4 crumbled feta
1/4 of pine nuts on top


Cook orzo in lightly salted water apx 8 mins, cool down by running under cold water.
Transfer to a bowl add pesto & mix well.
Add rest of the ingredients one by one mixing well each step.
Serve warm like that or cold, saves up to 4 days very well.

I also love this salad with roasted tomatoes instead of sun dried and I leave out the feta or klamatas because the roasted tomatoes are the star of the show here.

Enjoy,
Ms. Foodie