"Foods of Love" Spice up Valentine’s Month

February 2007
Aphrodisiacs- The science, the lore, and fun cooking with them.

“Every culture has its own magical foods. In America, chocolate, champagne, and oysters lead the pack of well-known aphrodisiacs. But whether it’s something inherent in the food or the power of the mind believing in the food’s qualities is something science has been unable to prove.” Context, lore, and attention to detail all play an important role in using foods as aphrodisiacs. Here are a few suggested “love foods” to throw in the mix this month- in the name of Cupid, of course!

Artichoke - This thorny vegetable, like many lovers, plays hard to get (which like many suitors, just makes one want it more.) It was often prescribed by doctors for their male patients who sought to increase bedroom performance.

Asparagus - The great French lovers of yesteryear dined on three courses of this shapely green vegetable on the night before the wedding. It is packed with potassium, phosphorus, calcium and vitamin E, perfect combinations for increased hormone production.

Bananas - Due not only to its shape, but also its creamy, lush texture, some studies show its enzyme bromelain enhances male performance.

Basil - Haitian lore claims this herb comes from Erzulie, their goddess of love. Early on, basil was used for centuries to keep wandering eyes at home. Wives with straying husbands powdered their breasts with it.

Caviar - High in Zinc, which stimulates the formation of testosterone.

Champagne - viewed as the drink of love;” moderate quantities lower inhibitions and cause a warm glow in the body.

Chiles - Lore has it that Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, founder of Kellogg's cereals, knew what he was talking about when he advised nymphomaniacs to stay away from this potent food. It gets the blood rushing, the heart pumping, the face flushing, and the pores sweating.

Chocolate - Contains both a sedative which relaxes and lowers inhibitions, and a stimulant to increase activity and the desire for physical contact. The Aztecs and Mayans were the first to recognize the potency of this food, celebrating the harvest with festivals of wild orgies, and adding it to foods and sauces, like traditional mole.

Figs - Seasonal crops were celebrated by ancient Greeks in a frenzied copulation ritual.

Honey - In 5th century B. C., Hippocrates prescribed this food for sexual vigor. Tradition in India offers a bridegroom a gift of this sweet, golden food on his wedding day.

Oysters - Some oysters repeatedly change their sex from male to female and back, giving rise to claims that the oyster lets one experience the emasculine and feminine sides of love.

Rosemary - This herb is said to be intoxicating, and to play on humans' keen scent memory, our tie to emotional experiences. Medieval women scented bath water with it to allure men.

Strawberries - This luscious fruit is usually a symbol of sensuality and earthly desire in art and literature. It is often associated with fairy folk.

Truffles - Probably due to its rarity and musky aroma, it has long been considered to arouse the palate and the body.

Information taken from www.entertaining.about.com and www.homecooking.about.com.