The food of love has many forms

In view of all the interest in romance of late, I thought a few words on aphrodisiacs (known for their alleged ability in the bedroom) might be appropriate. I suppose it could be argued that dietitians have no business dabbling in aphrodisiacs, but it is early summer and, after all, our business is the effect of food on the body.

The first aphrodisiac was, of course, the apple…and we know where that got us. Naturally the Bible dresses up the story to take out erotic overtones, but we know perfectly well what Eve and the devil had in mind for poor old Adam. The next historical mention of aphrodisiacs is in the form of powdered unicorn horn—one of the reasons Noah tried so desperately to get the unicorns on board the Ark. Powdered unicorn was selling like hotcakes for a while way back when, which says something for mind over matter, since the unicorn never actually existed, never mind his horn.

But the public hasn’t been fond of being confused with the facts and once they decided that love potions were effective, then new and improved aphrodisiacs had to be found. A love potion was used to arouse love, while the aphrodisiac was favoured for merely arousing. If a couple were already lovers, then these “erotic” foods were given to improve performance.

Most aphrodisiacs consist of a regular food with a certain something added; some contain a variety of odd and noxious substances—the more noxious the better. That which is unpleasant to one person, however, may be delectable to another. When frogs legs were first introduced into French cuisine, their main function was as an aphrodisiac—similar to eye of newt, dried lizard, starfish, camel fat and crocodile tails. The newt market had gone belly up, the Arabs were getting stingy with the camel fat, and crocodile tails were devilishly hard to get—given the crocodiles’ attachment to them. The frogs’ legs weren’t intended to appeal to the palate, but a certain je ne sais quoi in the French temperament soon had them decreed a “great French delicacy”. Snails were also once eaten for erotic purposes, but now even your prim Aunt Gertrude will eat escargots with no thoughts of sex.

Ginseng has long been considered to be an aphrodisiac, even pre-dating its use as a general cure-all and immunity enhancer. The fact that there are over a billion Chinese might say something about its potency. Oysters, of course, lead the pack of modern-day aphrodisiacs. It may be just a coincidence that the two highest concentrations of zinc are in oysters and the male reproductive organ—and that a zinc deficiency leads to delayed sexual maturation. Almonds have a remarkable reputation as an aphrodisiac, and fish is reputed to be so powerful in that regard that in ancient Egypt fish was taboo for the priests lest they become too amorous. On the other hand, St. Jerome forbade nuns to eat beans for similar reasons, but they were allowed to eat fish.

Herring, anchovies and eels have all been cited for their aphrodisiacal qualities, as has the lowly tuna—although a tuna sandwich doesn’t strike me as being much of a turn on. Contrary to what one might think (owing to their strong odour), onions and garlic are claimed by many to be aphrodisiacs and that well-known sage, Albertus Magnus, claimed that if these were combined with powdered periwinkle and added to meat dishes, great fires of passion would be kindled.

Truffles (the pig-detecting kind) are high on the list of love vegetables, but that probably has a lot to do with their rarity. Anything rare is bound to be expensive, and anything expensive tends to acquire an erotic reputation. Saffron is another good example of the expensive/erotic phenomena. Incidentally, turnip boiled in milk is said to restore potency—assuming one has lost it. Strawberries, the larger and more perfect, the better, are traditionally supposed to be among the most sensual of fruit. Dipped in chocolate, currently the mother-of-all aphrodisiacs, they can’t be beat.

The preceding bit of fun is, of course, tongue in cheek. The more serious part of the blog is that one of the best food-related gifts one can give is a food that’s rich in calcium...and has a reputation as an aphrodesiac. For that traditional breakfast-in-bed that often greets a birthday celebrant or simply someone who deserves to have breakfast made for them, I offer the following:

Ricotta Pancakes

1 C (250 mL) all-purpose flour 1 C (250 mL) ricotta cheese
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder ¾ C (175 mL) buttermilk (or milk + 1 T vinegar)
½ tsp (2 mL) baking soda 2 eggs
¼ tsp (1 mL0 salt 1 tbsp (15 mL) orange zest (optional)
2 tsp (10 mL) sugar

Combine all the dry ingredients. Beat the liquid ingredients together and gradually add them to the dry. Then, with an egg-beater, combine all until mixed. Heat frying pan or griddle until a couple of drops of water “skitter around” the pan. Spoon the batter from a ¼ cup measure, turning the pancakes when they are puffed and full of bubbles. Depending on how large you make them, you should have roughly 16 4-inch pancakes. They may be served with maple syrup or, the following cranberry-orange sauce:
Combine ½ cup (125 mL) sugar with 1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch, 11/2 cups (375 mL) orange juice and 2 cups (500 mL) fresh or frozen cranberries and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook until berries have all burst and sauce is thickened.