Ever said "Wow, this food is orgasmic!"? It just might be! This is on the connection between love and food.

Imagine the fluid, satiny texture of honey, the juicy red ripeness of a fig, the creaminess of chocolate, the hot, hot fieryness of chillies.... Food is definitely one of the most sensual pleasures on earth.

It's association with lovemaking is what led to the belief that certain foods have the power to arouse or to enhance the sexual experience - aphrodisiacal qualities. Named after Aphrodite, the goddess of love, aphrodisiacs are shrouded in mystery, folklore and symbolism. They are proof of mankind's preoccupation with the physical act of love. Their efficacy has often been questioned but that hasn't stopped us from experimenting - after all there is nothing to lose!

 

Oysters

Oysters have long symbolised virility and passion and are at the top of the love food list. Besides their obvious visual association, they are loaded with zinc which increases vaginal lubrication and the production of testosterone and sperm. They are best eaten straight off the shell or smoked and served with a dip and toasted pita bread.

Honey

The Kama Sutra, the Perfumed Garden (ancient Arabic equivalent of the Kama Sutra) and even the Bible mention honey in the same breath as love, sex and sensuality. Slick, syrupy, golden coloured honey is liquid sensuality. Its no wonder we call the object of our affection "Honey"!

Chocolate

The first to associate chocolate with sex were the Aztecs and Mayans - Aztec ruler Montezuma had a harem of 600 beauties and often drank as many as 50 cups of chocolate to better serve them! Casanova ate chocolates to feel romantic and Madame DuBarry served them to her enamoured suitors by the dozen. Not only does chocolate contain caffeine (which is a stimulant), it also has phenylethylamine, the chemical released in the blood of those in love. Make yourself nut clusters at home by pouring molten chocolate over freshly raosted almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts etc and allowing them to cool and set.

Alcohol

It is a depressant that reduces the body’s capacity for peak sexual performance if imbibed in large quantities. However judiciously consumed, alcohol reduces performance anxiety and inhibition. Careful you don't end up swinging from the chandeliers though!!

Champagne

Nothing needs to be said about this royal drink. Its bubbles popping gently on your nose as you sip - aaah sensory delight!

Sake

Made from rice - the Oriental symbol of fertitility - sake is drunk as part of Japanese wedding ceremonies.

Pine nuts

These delicious nuts are associated with fertility. Also called chilgoza, they grow in the Himalayas and not surprisingly, the local communities show and amazingly high birthrate!

Figs

This small, pear-shaped fruit with its velvety skin and pink to reddish juicy flesh is filled with tiny seeds. Biting into it brings a rush of textural sensations - the rough with the smooth, the sweet with the tangy.... Not to mention that figs conjure up images of Cleopatra, Dionysian orgies and the unrestrained and often licentious celebrations of the Roman Saturnalia.

Asparagus, zucchini, carrots and cucumbers

These veggies are associated with love and lust simply because of their obviously phallic shape! In fact in ancient France, young men would eat courses after courses of asparagus on the eve of their wedding. Scientifically though we know the reason is that asparagus is loaded with potassium, phosphorous, calcium and vitamin E, all of which give that much needed extra energy, boost the functioning of the urinary tract and kidneys, and discharge a hefty, natural dose of the vitamins necessary for increased sex hormone production.

Celery

This delicately flavoured green contains androsterone, a powerful male hormone that is released through sweat and attracts females - a pheromone of sorts.

Tomatoes

Their blood-red colour earned them the name of love-apples in France and rumour has it that they (and not the apple) were responsible for the first sin of Adam and Eve! Bite into a fresh, ripe tomato and when the juice spills over your lips you'll know what we mean!

Onions

Bet you never thought of these! Onions were considered a powerful aphrodisiac by ancient Greeks, Romans, Hindus, Arabs, and Egyptians. In fact Egyptian priests were not allowed to eat onions to guard against unnecessary powerful temptation!! Use them in moderation though - and never before an evening of passsion or it might have the opposite effect!

Chillies

They set your mouth on fire, make your skin look flushed and cause your heart to race... all the feelings you feel when you've just kissed passionately or had a quickie. It's no wonder they rank high on the list of love foods. Only beware, because too large a dose might have you rushing for a gulp of cold water rather than into the arms your amour!!

Pepper

The Perfumed Garden advises mixing ground pepper with cardamom or lavender, galangal, musk, honey and ginger to make a potent topical aphrodisiac for men. Closer home, in India pepper corns crushed with almonds and mixed with milk are a popular aphrodisiac served by a bride to her groom on their wedding night.

Nutmeg

Its heady fragrance made it a prized spice among the ancient Arabs, Greeks, Hindus and Romans. Here in India, a combination of nutmeg, honey and a half-boiled egg eaten an hour before sex is prescribed to prolong lovemaking!

Basil/Tulsi

An otherwise chaste herb, it is used in pagan Voodoo love ceremonies in Haiti.

Fennel

To the ancient Greeks and Hindus fennel was a potent sexual stimulant and fennel juice, honey, ghee, sugar and licorice were mixed to make a potion for sexual vigour. In the Mediterranean fennel soup is thought to increase sexual desire.

Cayenne pepper

The endorphins it releases give you a pleasant buzz much like the high you feel after a strenuous workout.

Yohimbe

An almost magical herb, it increases blood flow throughout the body so unless you want to have a heart attack from pleasure, watch the amount you take. Brew no more than 1/2 a teaspoon in a cup of hot water and drink at your own peril!!

Last but very definitely not the least on the list is the mind. There is no greater aphrodisiac than the mind. Take a moment and let yours roam.... Agree? We knew you would!