Did you know that a calorie free sugar substitute grows on trees? The Monk Fruit, it's sweeter than sugar. And it's jealously guarded and tightly regulated by the Chinese government.
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Monk Fruit is a finickly distant relative of the cucumber, which only grows in very specific regions in Southeast Asia. It was pretty much the exclusive purview of monks (natch) until the 19th century, when it was discovered by National Geographic explorers. And by "Discovered" we mean "asked monks what that thing is, and the monks told them." Good job explorers! That means you get to rename it siraitia grosvenorii!
The monks will continue to call it Luo Han Guo, thank you very much. Whatever you call it, Monk Fruit contains hyper-sweet compounds, which are processed into all-natural low-calorie sweeteners. For now, it's not as widely distributed as, say, Stevia, because the monk fruit is protected by China, which heavily regulates its export and cultivation. But the free market got us at least a few samples, and we're going to give it a try!
On Why Would You Eat That? we scour the globe for the most bizarre foods and explain why anyone would be crazy enough to eat them. You'll be shocked to see how one man's trash can actually be another man's delicacy. Don't forget to subscribe to Tasted, support us on Patreon, so we can keep these episodes a-comin’!
