Apples suddenly taste weird?

[ApplesAndPearsTheFruits]

Have eaten apples and pears regularly for years (usually every day with porridge in the morning).

A few weeks ago, some pears sent out in our supermarket delivery had a weird taste to them. Sort of too sweet, less fresh, and just slightly odd. Didn’t really enjoy them. Assumed it was just the type of pear (they were sent as substitutes for our usual ones) and a one off.

But – since then (last 2-3 weeks) apples have started having the same weird flavour too. Different varieties, some organic, some not.

I’m away from home (diff town) this week and bought some Pink Ladies and they have the same unpleasant taste too!

What is going on?! 😂 This has literally happened overnight, no other foods affected.

Are you pregnant or do you have covid?

Hiya! Not pregnant as I had a scan this week, no other covid symptoms, but not tested, so possible – hadn’t considered that one!

That being said, everything else tastes exactly as normal, so don’t seem to have dulled tastebuds or sense of smell

Second Covid.

Could easily be covid, it can affect taste and it can affect not all tastes but some. There was a thread a little while back from someone who since covid has gone off chocolate. Everything else normal, can't eat chocolate.
Since I had it last I can't bear the thought of porridge - which I used to eat for breakfast all year round. Not eaten it for about three months now. Desire to eat porridge completely eradicated! 😂

So covid looks like it could be a contender! Might be worth doing a test in case it’s still lingering around…

Why is it targeting all the best foods?!?!

Pregnant or covid.

I since August 2020 can't drink coffee or eat curry in sauce, thanks covid.

Another couple of recent changes

1. I started taking magnesium supplements in the evening – although haven’t had any for a couple of days. (And had some of the weird tasting apple just now).

2. I was having headaches for a week or so – really notable as I never get them normally. I wanted to get a CO detector, and when I came away last week – from Weds eve onwards – the headaches stopped instantly. Although that was 4 days ago and apples still taste weird 😂

Coffee, noo!!! And curry too, these are top-tier flavours. Fuck sake!

Hope they come back at some point!

Tomatoes still taste odd and it’s ages since I’ve had covid. Unused to live the smell of tomato plants and I can no longer smell them. I think you’ve had covid.

Oral Allergy Syndrome?
Do you suffer from hayfever?

Did it make your mouth/throat feel itchy at all?

I have some food allergies and can't eat pears but can eat apples-but occasionally I will eat an apple that is too mealy and gives me the itch. Maybe it's a seasonal allergy?

I think, fruit especially, is being picked and sold before it is ripe and artificially ripened "off the tree". My supermarket fruit and veg tastes weird in comparison to my greengrocers veg, for example. (and doesn't last as long either)

A mealy apple 🤢
I had bananas which took 2 weeks to ripen - dh and I thought they’d never go yellow. Then they were overripe and a bit grim. Used for smoothies.,

No never had hayfever. Not heard of OAS before, will have a look!

Yes it’s funny you say that as that’s something I said to my partner at the time – they taste artificially sweetened somehow.

I actually wondered if they’ve started doing that somehow through the water used or something.

No, no itchiness!

Is mealy like when it’s a bit ‘bittier’, more floury in texture – less crisp?

I had this with butter a while back, it just tasted slightly off all the time.
Then it got better (good as I'm a butter person lol)
Just had covid again, made toast today and the weird taste is back

@ApplesAndPearsTheFruits

yes that's exactly what I mean by mealy.
Sort of soft and soggy. Less crisp. Ick texture.

I also think interesting that all the technology/forced ripening/nothing is ever out of season/food travelling so far to table gives us a bit of a false reality and is getting out of hand.

Food for thought see what I did there

I had COVID in November 2020 and I'm only just starting to be able to taste tea again. It's been genuinely awful!

This round of Covid gave me wicked headaches for a fortnight. So my vote is you have had Covid and this is the classic parosmia that's so common.

"a bit ‘bittier’, more floury in texture – less crisp"

Ooo..they go like that when the frost gets them. Maybe they've been stored too cold?

Covid this year caused headaches the first few days.

They are picked when unripe, and are kept in large stores for sometimes months on end. When required, as far as I know, they then introduce ethylene gas into the storage area which starts the ripening process. It is the same gas that bananas give off naturally.

I don't think fruit ripened like that is ever going to taste the same as something that was allowed to start ripening on the tree. Nature knows best.