Love Foods
The word alone conjures up images of strange, exotic images meant to wield power over unsuspecting souls. Throughout history, lovers have depended on love potions enhanced with charms of enchantment for those hearts stubborn to Cupid's arrow. Sometimes that meant a secret ingredient. Slipped into a goblet of wine; other times an elaborate concoction gulped down for stamina.
The qualifying factors for aphrodisiacs were relatively simple: the rarer the ingredients, the more likely it held aphrodisiacal qualities. Coincidentally, many foods long considered aphrodisiacs are low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals. A diet heavy in these foods, then, yields a healthy body with energy and blood flow, and nutrients needed for a peak sexual experience. So, maybe there are scientific reasons for all this, but explanation or not, anyone who has fed a lover a grape, knows aphrodisiacs exist. Anyone who has served an elaborate candle lit meal, painstakingly prepared with love, knows the potential food has over our emotions.
For your Intimate dinner you may want include some of these foods and see what kind of a reaction you get.
Artichokes...Asparagus...Avocado...Basil...Black
Beans...Chocolate...Chilies...Coffee...Figs...Grapes...Honey...Oysters
Pine nuts...Rosemary...Strawberries...
But what is the historical significance that certify some of these foods as true aphrodisiacs or “ Love Foods”?
Chocolate;
The potency of chocolate was first discovered by the Mayan and Aztec Indians in their celebration of the harvest of the cocoa bean with festivals of orgies. Montezuma, the Aztec ruler supposedly drank 50 cups of chocolate each day to satisfy his harem of 600 women. Casanova adored chocolate, and so do we. Sales in the 1990¹s average 600,000 tons of cocoa consumed each year. Chocolate has sparked the attention of scientists as well. This decadent candy contains phenyl ethylamine (PEA) which is the very same chemical that flows through the vein of someone who is in love. Why tamper with this ancient love potion?
Figs:
A small, pear-shaped delicacy, a ripe fig tastes sweeter than any dried one, a fresh plump fig smells better than any syrupy canned version. A knife slices through it like butter, the edible seeds are endless through eachlayer filed with succulent flavor. Figs date back to Cleopatra, Dionysian orgies, and the Roman Saturnalia. This innocent natural sensuality can work wonders prepared various ways.
Oysters:
The greatest of all aphrodisiacs, oysters symbolize vitality and passion forall those who indulge. Since the time of the Roman Empire oysters have enjoyed a randy reputation, which has only increased over time. What is it about oysters? Casanova is said to have been a firm believer in oysters, eating 50 raw ones every morning in the bath with the lady he fancied at that moment. Oysters have unleashed their powers of seduction on unwitting prey and restores life to lagging libidos. Why do oysters have such an effect on people? Oysters are loaded with zinc, a key ingredient to testosterone production, and therefore sexual performance for both genders. Or is it the texture that resembles parts of the anatomy that are touched in the act of love.
Pine Nuts:
Pine nuts, also called Pignolis, come from the inside the cones of the pine trees. Galen, a 2nd century doctor, prescribed them to his patients for their reported powers. Today, people hail the pine nut as the kernel of love.
Rosemary:
The scent of rosemary fills a room, and entices the sense of smell.
Medieval women scented bath water with rosemary to allure men. Apparently, rosemary plays on humans scent memory the strongest tie to emotional experiences. If executed properly, a Pavlovian call to love might occur from simply a whiff of this potent herb.
Honey:
From the Kama Sutra to the Perfumed Garden to the Bible, honey has been connected with love, sex and sensuality since the beginning of time. Hippocrates prescribed honey for sexual vigor. In India, tradition states that an offering of honey be presented to the bridegroom and hide out in seclusion drinking the honey potion until the first new moon of their
marriage. Attila the Hun drank himself to death with honey on his honeymoon. The very word conjures up images of the dripping, sticky substance, of honeybees, and all things sweet.
Here is an example of an intimate way to use the love food, chocolate.
Chocolate Fondue
with Fresh Fruits for Two
Edward and Susanna Tolini Executive Chefs, Le Bocage
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tsp. Grand Marnier
Method:
In a heavy duty sauce pan, bring the heavy crème to a boil. Remove from the
stove and stir in the chocolate until completely incorporated. Add the Grand
Marnier
Serve in a fondue pot with assorted fruits cut into bite sized pieces.
Fruits can include, but are not limited to:
Kiwi, peeled and sliced
Strawberries
Raspberries
Bananas, cut into 1/2² slices
Pineapple
Dried Apricots
Granny Smith apples, sliced
Filet of Orange
The word alone conjures up images of strange, exotic images meant to wield power over unsuspecting souls. Throughout history, lovers have depended on love potions enhanced with charms of enchantment for those hearts stubborn to Cupid's arrow. Sometimes that meant a secret ingredient. Slipped into a goblet of wine; other times an elaborate concoction gulped down for stamina.
The qualifying factors for aphrodisiacs were relatively simple: the rarer the ingredients, the more likely it held aphrodisiacal qualities. Coincidentally, many foods long considered aphrodisiacs are low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals. A diet heavy in these foods, then, yields a healthy body with energy and blood flow, and nutrients needed for a peak sexual experience. So, maybe there are scientific reasons for all this, but explanation or not, anyone who has fed a lover a grape, knows aphrodisiacs exist. Anyone who has served an elaborate candle lit meal, painstakingly prepared with love, knows the potential food has over our emotions.
For your Intimate dinner you may want include some of these foods and see what kind of a reaction you get.
Artichokes...Asparagus...Avocado...Basil...Black
Beans...Chocolate...Chilies...Coffee...Figs...Grapes...Honey...Oysters
Pine nuts...Rosemary...Strawberries...
But what is the historical significance that certify some of these foods as true aphrodisiacs or “ Love Foods”?
Chocolate;
The potency of chocolate was first discovered by the Mayan and Aztec Indians in their celebration of the harvest of the cocoa bean with festivals of orgies. Montezuma, the Aztec ruler supposedly drank 50 cups of chocolate each day to satisfy his harem of 600 women. Casanova adored chocolate, and so do we. Sales in the 1990¹s average 600,000 tons of cocoa consumed each year. Chocolate has sparked the attention of scientists as well. This decadent candy contains phenyl ethylamine (PEA) which is the very same chemical that flows through the vein of someone who is in love. Why tamper with this ancient love potion?
Figs:
A small, pear-shaped delicacy, a ripe fig tastes sweeter than any dried one, a fresh plump fig smells better than any syrupy canned version. A knife slices through it like butter, the edible seeds are endless through eachlayer filed with succulent flavor. Figs date back to Cleopatra, Dionysian orgies, and the Roman Saturnalia. This innocent natural sensuality can work wonders prepared various ways.
Oysters:
The greatest of all aphrodisiacs, oysters symbolize vitality and passion forall those who indulge. Since the time of the Roman Empire oysters have enjoyed a randy reputation, which has only increased over time. What is it about oysters? Casanova is said to have been a firm believer in oysters, eating 50 raw ones every morning in the bath with the lady he fancied at that moment. Oysters have unleashed their powers of seduction on unwitting prey and restores life to lagging libidos. Why do oysters have such an effect on people? Oysters are loaded with zinc, a key ingredient to testosterone production, and therefore sexual performance for both genders. Or is it the texture that resembles parts of the anatomy that are touched in the act of love.
Pine Nuts:
Pine nuts, also called Pignolis, come from the inside the cones of the pine trees. Galen, a 2nd century doctor, prescribed them to his patients for their reported powers. Today, people hail the pine nut as the kernel of love.
Rosemary:
The scent of rosemary fills a room, and entices the sense of smell.
Medieval women scented bath water with rosemary to allure men. Apparently, rosemary plays on humans scent memory the strongest tie to emotional experiences. If executed properly, a Pavlovian call to love might occur from simply a whiff of this potent herb.
Honey:
From the Kama Sutra to the Perfumed Garden to the Bible, honey has been connected with love, sex and sensuality since the beginning of time. Hippocrates prescribed honey for sexual vigor. In India, tradition states that an offering of honey be presented to the bridegroom and hide out in seclusion drinking the honey potion until the first new moon of their
marriage. Attila the Hun drank himself to death with honey on his honeymoon. The very word conjures up images of the dripping, sticky substance, of honeybees, and all things sweet.
Here is an example of an intimate way to use the love food, chocolate.
Chocolate Fondue
with Fresh Fruits for Two
Edward and Susanna Tolini Executive Chefs, Le Bocage
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tsp. Grand Marnier
Method:
In a heavy duty sauce pan, bring the heavy crème to a boil. Remove from the
stove and stir in the chocolate until completely incorporated. Add the Grand
Marnier
Serve in a fondue pot with assorted fruits cut into bite sized pieces.
Fruits can include, but are not limited to:
Kiwi, peeled and sliced
Strawberries
Raspberries
Bananas, cut into 1/2² slices
Pineapple
Dried Apricots
Granny Smith apples, sliced
Filet of Orange
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