Eating this boozy fruit triggered what scientists call the “aperitif effect.” Studies show that people eat anywhere from 10 to 30 percent more food after drinking alcohol. So it compelled our ancestors to find and gorge more of the fruit to bulk up for leaner times. The buzz further rewarded us. Alcohol even kills germs. So this boozy food was less likely to contain bacteria that might make us sick. This means that in the past, alcohol equaled survival. But the alcohol levels in this wild fermenting fruit were so low that we’d fill up long before we’d start slurring our words.
