(excerpted from Romantic Cooking for Two, 2001, M.Beers)
Obviously the most important element of a romantic meal, is the food. Anyone who has met me or attended any of my cooking classes knows that I know how to take certain shortcuts, (for the sake of time, of course). So here is where we get down to the “nitty-gritty”: planning that special menu for that someone special.
While I may be inclined to go with the “more expensive is better” philosophy with many of my meals cooked at home, for a romantic meal I reach for the short list of scientifically proven, and traditionally acknowledged foods known simply as:
Some of the more “successful” aphrodisiacs include:
- Chocolate - Artichokes
- Asparagus - Black beans
- Chiles - Oysters
- Coffee - Rosemary
- Basil - Edible flowers
- Grapes - Pine nuts
- Strawberries - Avocados
- Honey - Figs
- Wine and champagne
As a caveat, most of the traditional aphrodisiacs are also some the items that were the most rare and expensive for the time. However, who is to deny the power of the first grapes that Cleopatra fed Marc Antony on a silk throne in ancient Egypt? When chocolate was first brought from the New World, only the very wealthy, or the highly conniving, were able to procure this magical bean.
Then there is the Doctrine of Signatures to account for. According to this ancient astrological document, items that resemble another item, assume the same characteristics. Some of those items that fall into this category are rhinoceros and other animal horns (the origin of the phrase “horny”, no…I did not make that up), asparagus, oysters, and ginseng (literally translated as “man root”). The assumption made here is that if an item is phallic it will stimulate libido…no scientific basis, only aesthetics. This was not dreamed up by a bunch of hot and bothered ancient Greeks, whose sole purpose was to try to secure sexual relations, the primary use was for medicinal purposes. They also believed that if you wore the skin of a wolf, you became more ”wolf-like” in your behavior!
Then there are your herbs, spices, chiles, and caffeine products. Many long associated these with the power of the aphrodisiac. However, recently it has come to light that when consumed, the body produces the same reaction as when it is aroused: elevated heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, jitters, etc. Nothing more happens.
Chocolate is the only substance known to have science on its side, but even science does not consider it an “aphrodisiac”. Its caffeine content produces the physical sensation, but it is PEA (phenylethylamine) that is the “real deal”. PEA is the same molecule that runs through our veins when we are in love, but still not an aphrodisiac. Having said all that, it still does not discount the fact that the ancient Aztecs and Mayans celebrated the cocoa bean harvest with wild orgies!
Wine and champagne were once described as the “aid of Venus”. Not so much an aphrodisiac as much as they are an aid to make the courted more receptive to the intentions of a potential suitor.
So what are the real aphrodisiacs? As I have come to understand it, anything that makes you feel like listening to Barry White. They are a sensual experience which provides the “pep in your step”, so to speak.
The Food and Drug Administration recognizes no food or other substance as an “aphrodisiac”. Odd then, that for millennia books as diverse as the Kama Sutra and The Holy Bible, and the writings of the first “doctor”, Hippocrates, all recognize foods as being intrinsically linked to sex, love, and sensuality.
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