The history of food, and the emotion behind food, is what drives me to write, share and live in my kitchen. Nothing is more rooted to daily life than food and emotion…not a day that goes by where we are not touched by both of them. Valentine’s Day is one day where the two intertwine, in a fabulous waltz of history, myth, aroma, taste and desire.
Ancient traditions professed that if an object resembled the genitalia it held sexual powers, thus the legendary aphrodisiac powers of ginseng root, peaches, avocado and carrots. Cleopatra then made the power of scent popular by her notorious sexual conquests, spurring the rise of the apothecary. However, it was not until a physician at the court of Marcus Aurelius named Galen, that the subject was legitimised by his many writings on how food inspires successful copulation. Ironically, it was Thomas Aquinas who made the famous connection between wine and sexual confidence, and good old Bard who famously acknowledged the truth about alcohol and sex in MacBeth, “ It increases the desire but it takes away the performance”.
This Valentine’s Day let your senses take hold, and let romance bloom by offering up an aphoristic feast for the soul with cocktails that will ignite your passion and foods that will excited the senses.
Discover my cocktails for lovers featured on Celebrations.com:
- 9 1/2 Weeks Martini Recipe
- Arabian Night Cocktail Recipe
- Love Potion No. 5 Recipe
- Peachy Love Sparkler Recipe
- Monkey Love Shot Recipe
Set the mood for love with my tips on TheDailyMeal.com and then serve up finger foods for lovers:
- Get your dose of dopamine is the stimulant we all need to feel sexy. It makes things taste good, smell good, sound good, look good, and above all-feel good. To get Dopamine you need to either eat copious amounts of oily fish or simply take fish oil supplements. Avoid caffeine in all its forms as it interferes with a proper serotonin-dopamine balance.
- Eat avocado. The Aztecs thought the fruit hanging in pairs on the tree resembled the male’s testicles. But it is good for you because it is it is high in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Eat figs. The Ancient Greeks celebrated the arrival of a new crop of figs by ritual copulation as they were motivated by the ideas that it looked like female genitalia. It will work well for you because it’s an excellent source of iron, magnesium, and zinc. Besides that, Cleopatra loved it, good enough for her, good enough for you.
- Eat peaches. The Chinese feel that it represents sexuality because of its moist pink colour, its fuzzy skin, and the juicy flesh and scent. It will work for you because it is high in vitamin C and will keep you strong for your next adventure in the bedroom.
- Eat Bananas. They have a suggestive phallic shape (had you noticed?), but are good for you because they contain potassium and B vitamins which are essential for sex hormone production.
- Eat dark expensive chocolate. Everyone associates chocolate with love, but it is good for you because it contains a stimulant called phenylethylamine, which gives you a sense of well being and excitement similar to the natural high that endorphins give us.
- Eat raw oysters. Ok this one I will pass on, having tried them years ago and nearly spoiled my cocktail dress, but if you can handle them, they are a classic aphrodisiac food since the time of Aphrodite. They are good for you because they are rich source of zinc, a mineral required for testosterone production. This male hormone is believed to increase the female libido as well.
- Drink Valarian Root. This is my favourite sleeping tonic, found in health food stores in liquid or tea form. For this trick you need the liquid form, and not too much or else you find yourself on the sofa with only sexy dreams and not the real thing. In small doses it is good for you because it relaxes you and stimulates touch.
Recommended Reading
Setting the mood for romance at home | Coryanne for The Daily Meal
Valentine’s Day Cocktails | Coryanne for Celebrations
February Is… | Housewife Bliss