Ancient civilizations believed that eating certain foods would inspire sexuality. At a time when people knew little of nutrition, scholars recommended young couples eat a variety of foods to encourage fertility. That’s what modern-day Americans call a well-balanced diet, but there may be something more to these sexy foods.
Many cultures have a food traditionally served at weddings to inspire the newly wed couple to start a family on their wedding night and have a more pleasurable experience. Jamaicans have served mannish water for centuries at the end of a wedding. It’s made from goat head, goat penis and simmered for hours with onions and other vegetables.
“It’s served to men to get the guys going at the end of the night. It’s the natural Viagra in the islands,” said Chef Walter Staib, the first inductee to the Caribbean Culinary Hall of Fame.
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Greeks believed that eating foods from the ocean was a healthy way to increase fertility and lustfulness because Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and sexuality, came from the sea. That’s where today’s culture gets the title for foods thought to boost lust, aphrodisiacs.
Many of the ingredients thought to be sexy foods in ancient years have now been proven to contain chemicals that boost hormones in the body.
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“Honey has long been an ancient love drug, and with good reason – it contains boron, which stimulates the sex hormones in both males and females,” according to an article on www.heritage-key.com.
This Valentine’s Day, if you want to stir up some love in the kitchen, choose a menu that contains a few aphrodisiacs. You don’t have to go to Athens or Montego Bay to find foods to work up a craving for love, stay in Abington and create a menu at home.
“The New Intercourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook” is a book entirely dedicated to couples trying ancient ingredients rumored to jump start a night of romance. It includes recipes, photos and anecdotes about 19 different ingredients. The book is broken into chapters that cover each food, including chocolate, asparagus, chiles, coffee, basil, grapes, strawberries, honey, artichokes, black beans, oysters, rosemary, edible flowers, pine nuts, avocados, libations or alcohol, and figs.
Williams-Sonoma in Willow Grove Park Mall carries a good selection of cookbooks, or check out the Abington Library. But if you don’t want to invest in the book, and you just need a few ideas for Valentine’s Day dinner, here is a menu that is sure to inspire:
Oysters on the half shell
Slurping oysters from the shell can be erotic on its own, and because the food comes from a shell of the sea, just as the goddess was, all shellfish is reputed to be a lusty ingredient.
Spicy beef kebabs
Spicy foods that have peppers in them have capsicum, which is a natural stimulant that makes blood flow in the body, making blood rush to all the right parts. Hot peppers are known as the natural Viagra to some cultures, including native islanders in the Caribbean.
Fresh figs and goat cheese drizzled with honey
When Eve committed the original sin, she is said to have bitten into a fig, not an apple. These Mediterranean fruits are considered aphrodisiacs because when sliced in half, they resemble a woman’s anatomy.
Strawberries and whipped cream
Juicy red berries are colorful and sweet, and the hundreds of seeds embedded on each berry are rumored to increase fertility.
Asparagus bundles wrapped in prosciutto
Some foods are considered aphrodisiacs because of their shape and resemblance to sexual parts.
Mocha torte
Layers of decadent brownies topped with coffee infused pudding, the slight dose of caffeine will keep you up at night.
