Background: Dysgeusia caused by the consumption of pine nuts is not widely reported in the medical literature, although much is written about this condition on the Internet.
Case description: We present the case of a 46-year-old male who complained of metallic and bitter dysgeusia that started 2 days after the ingestion of approximately 70 grams of pine nuts. A literature search revealed only 3 case reports on this subject. In all cases including ours, the complaints began a few days after the ingestion of pine nuts and had spontaneously resolved after a week. No medical sequelae are known, but patients may suffer social consequences.
Conclusion: The cause of this condition is unknown. Possible causes include the presence of toxic or inedible components in the pine nuts. Physicians should be aware of this phenomenon in order to be able to reassure patients about this benign disorder.