A better banana with Mozart?

(neelsky)

Studies have shown that classical music has a relaxing, rejuvenating effect on humans. But do bananas ripened to the tunes of Mozart taste better? One Japanese fruit company says so.

The company, Toyoka Chuo Seika, ripens ordinary bananas from the Philippines in ripening chambers for one week, while continuously playing Mozart over the speakers. The result they say is a sweeter fruit.

Toyoka Chuo Seika is not the first of its kind, according to an article published November 25 in The Japan Times. Another fruit wholesaler in Japan started the trend three years ago. Now you can find soy sauce, udon noodles, miso, maitake mushrooms, and "Beethoven Bread" on Japanese grocery store shelves extolling the virtues of classical music vibrations.

Another company that promotes chamber music-infused gastronomy is Ohara Shuzo, a sake brewery in Japan. For 24 to 30 days, during the third step of the sake brewing process, Mozart is played for one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon as the sake ferments in stainless-steel tanks. "Symphony 41" and "Piano Concerto 20" get the most play, senior managing director Fumiko Ohara explained in an interview with The Japan Times. "It makes the sake have a richer fragrance and a milder taste."

To read the full article: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fs20101125a3.html

To visit the products' (Japanese only) websites:
http://www.toyookaseika.co.jp
http://www.oharashuzo.co.jp