Sechuan Buttons

I read about these curious things in today's Washington Post food section.  Never heard of them before, so I looked them up to find out more.  A description:

The Sechuan Buttons is the flower of a plant originating from Africa and South America when the two continents where still connected. Now it is only found in specific areas of Africa. The name ‘Sechuan Button’ is chosen as the flower is also found in Sechuan, China.

For some people tasting the button gives the sensation of an ‘electric’ shock. It starts with a champagne-like tinkling on the top of the tongue. Then it starts to move with a kind of anaesthetic feeling in the cheeks, a numb feeling followed by a saliva flush.

One will never forget it without the perception of negative. However, within one minute the negative feeling will disappear and make place for curiosity and a desire to analyze the different sensations. Obviously, one should be very careful in the choice and combination of wines.

You simply have to watch the following video of people's reactions upon tasting it:

Click the links above to learn more.