Love bites
[The euphoria of sensuous food]
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
The idea of mingling the edible with the erotic is age-old. For centuries folklore held foods either unusual or resembling a sex organ had libidinous power. Scientific evidence to support that theory may be scant, but it cannot be denied that sensual foods are intertwined with romance. The satisfying combination of sight, smell and taste in foods tends to bring on euphoria much akin to sexual expression. It may not be necessarily what, but how you eat food and, of course, your emotional state at the moment. At one time or another, in one culture or another, almost all types of food have been considered aphrodisiac. For all that science says doesn’t exist, aphrodisiacs have been around for thousands of years.
Where you can find the good stuff
Oysters—Mansur’s On the Boulevard’s charbroiled oysters are decadently warm, sexy and delectable.
Chocolate—Whole Food’s Market has a gorgeous selection of high-quality Callebaut and El Rey chocolates.
Honey—The plethora of Mediterranean restaurants (Al Basha, Serops, Romans, Arzi’s, etc.) offer sticky sweet, honey-laden desserts like baklava, or the brilliant Ashta—flaky phyllo pastry filled with rose-water scented custard, baked golden and served warm with a topping of crushed pistachios and a healthy drizzle of honey.
Herbs, spices and nuts—Dinner at India’s ensures a meal touched with all the key ingredients. Try all the curries and rice dishes.
Love potions have been described since the fourth century B.C. Theophastus, a Greek botanist, recommended the leafy plant Mandrake soaked in vinegar. This plant is said to contain a substance that creates the sensation of “feeling high.” Chocolate too is said to contain PEA, a substance which traverses the body and gives the same “high” we feel when in love. Many, many foods, herbs and spices are said to have the power of love. A short list includes, chocolate, pine-nuts, black beans, strawberries, avocado, fennel, onions, cinnamon, ginger, clove, almonds, basil, honey and, of course, seafood.
Food and lovemaking have been coupled in literature, movies and everyday life. Oysters were never the same after reading Casanova’s treatment of them in his memoirs. Film buffs will recall the food orgy scene in Tom Jones and that drumstick. If you are too young to remember that film, then consider the deli scene in When Harry Met Sally, as Meg Ryan’s character loses control and the lady at the next table says, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
Generally, people believe what they want to believe and such is the way with aphrodisiac foods. If you believe it works, then it does. Equivocal as it sounds, there is no disputing that there is something sensual and sexy about sharing a meal with a special partner. In the book InterCourses: an aphrodisiac cookbook, authors Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge provide history and theory of food’s aphrodisiac qualities, great recipes, and beautiful photographs.
The book is available at intercourses.com.
The rest is up to you.
Lorin Gaudin is a New Orleans-based food writer whose work also appears in the New York Post and New Orleans Magazine.
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