Buzz Buttons of Brazil

February 17, 2023 11:34 AM

“Jambu takes about three seconds to kick in and then it happens all at once: the prickly buzz of electricity, the numbness, the intense salivation. It's the same unbearable yet pleasurable intensity of chilli pepper, except instead of heat, there's a cool, numbing sensation that takes a long time to subside and leaves you wanting more.” —Brazil's answer to the Sichuan pepper, from BBC Travel

Here's the Dona Onete song about jambu mentioned in the BBC article.

Further reading: “With a taste similar to watercress, jambú can be used both raw and cooked. Keep an eye out for these local dishes when you find your way to the north of Brazil.”

posted by oulipian (14 comments total)

Pato no tucupi is so lovely! Duck soup with a manioc miso base, and these daisy stems in it that leave you exhilarated and with a one-hit barely stoned gentle euphoria for like twenty minutes as they go down and tingle your throat. Jambu is the best. It is also fun in a bottle of cachaça.
posted by umbú at 11:41 AM on February 17, 2023 [2 favorites]

Ah the secret ingredient in Disney’s notorious Star Wars themed cocktail the Fuzzy Tauntaun.
posted by chrchr at 1:50 PM on February 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

"Brazilian buzz button" sounds like a drug from a cyberpunk story.
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:29 PM on February 17, 2023 [6 favorites]

There's a shoe brand named Jambu that I've purchased on occasion. TIL what they're named after.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 3:43 PM on February 17, 2023

I'm suddenly even more pleased to be trying to learn Portuguese.
posted by aramaic at 4:38 PM on February 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

Brazilian buzz button" sounds like a drug from a cyberpunk story

I wonder whether it could be psychoactive

the Majjhima Nikāya, three parallel texts (MN 36, MN 85 and MN 100) claim that the Buddha remembered an experience of sitting in the cool shade of a jambu tree when he was a child. While his father was working, he entered into a meditative state which he later understood to be the first stage of Jhāna meditation. The texts claim that this was a formative experience, which later encouraged him to explore and practise Jhāna meditation, and that this then led to his Awakening. The Pāli word jambu is understood by Pāli dictionaries to refer to the Syzygium cumini which they often translate as the Rose-apple tree.[10]

When the Buddha enters into his first altered state under a particular tree, that might be pointing to something.

On the other hand, I couldn’t find any mention of similar suspicions about the Bo tree.
posted by jamjam at 4:43 PM on February 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

There's a North american version of sichuan pepper, the prickly ash tree. It's a member of the citrus family that grows as far north as Ontario/MN!
posted by Ferreous at 5:17 PM on February 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

I had this at a L’île de la Réunion restaurant in Paris. The server was trying to warn us about the mouth-numbing effects of the vegetable stew we were going to order, but with our mediocre French we misunderstood and thought he meant it was spicy or hot, like chilli, and assured him it was OK, we are used to spicy food. Surprise! I took one bite and panicked because the numbing effect made me feel like my throat was closing up. However, after I drank a lot of water it went away and I was like HOLY COW you have to try this. We googled it and found out paracress (as it says in the article) is also called toothache plant and were like ohhhhhhh. I’ve never been able to find it anywhere since, but it really was pretty cool to be surprised by food!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:04 PM on February 17, 2023 [3 favorites]

They're pretty easy to grow, and you can order seeds. (I can give you seeds, if you're in the Boston area, although I'm not sure if the ones I collected from my plants are too old at this point.) The flowers are really cute, too.
posted by Belostomatidae at 8:27 PM on February 17, 2023 [2 favorites]

There was a cocktail bar in Salem, MA, that used these in like 2015-2016. Effect similar to clove.
posted by Miko at 8:31 PM on February 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

Aww, thanks for the offer, Belostomatidae! I would take you up on it if I were in the Boston area. I’m across the border so they probably wouldn’t look too kindly on me bringing them back here, but I should take a look and see if we can get seeds here if they are easy to grow. They do look cute!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:59 AM on February 18, 2023

Anyone know a reliable place to order seeds? I want to grow some!
posted by Bottlecap at 3:33 AM on February 19, 2023

I got mine from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, although I'm sure there are other seed suppliers who offer them. I think they're usually listed under "Spilanthes acmella" but you might find them as "Acmella oleracea" as well (the newer scientific name hasn't really caught on, apparently).
posted by Belostomatidae at 5:44 AM on February 19, 2023

Thank you! And good timing - sale for the long weekend. I’m excited to plant these, and I’ll do some in my hydroponic system and see how they do. Given the soil needs, I think they should be very happy.
posted by Bottlecap at 5:53 AM on February 19, 2023