Sweetness for the prehistoric man was the taste sensation obtained from sweet berries and honey. Man's quest for other sweet things led to sucrose, starch‐derived sugars, and synthetic sweeteners. An unusual source of sweet taste is a West African berry known as miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum). This fruit possesses a taste‐modifying substance that causes sour foods—e.g., lemons, limes, or grapefruit—to taste sweet. The active principle was found to be a glycoprotein. Until this time, only small molecules were considered sweet‐evoking substances, but now macromolecules are considered capable of participating in taste perception.