I wasn’t sure I wanted to get into this subject now but I’ve been working on entries for a couple romance blogs and the subject was mentioned. By me. In a piece about food and romance. So here goes.
Aphrodisiacs.
The word itself is derived from the Greek goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love. There are customs, beliefs and taboos in every time and culture about the connection between certain foods and romance, either for fertility or to increase desire and, shall we say, enhance performance.
For some foods in that category, it’s easy to see why they’re included—they resemble human organs. Why other foods make the list is a mystery to me. Lobster, for example. I had a very good anatomy class in nursing school as well as some years experience as an operating room nurse. Not once did I see a human organ that looks like a lobster. However, I am willing to concede that the texture, the mouth feel, of lobster dipped in butter is sensual. Think that’s it?
But returning to foods that resemble human organs—how about asparagus? Many older cultures thought this lovely spring vegetable an aphrodisiac because of its shape. That and it grows rapidly under the right circumstances.
I’ll leave it at that.
However, as much as I believe that food and romance have an intimate connection, I’m not sure I believe in aphrodisiacs. At least not foods that act on our bodies. On our minds? Absolutely. There are lots of “get-in-the-mood-foods.” (I, of course, include chocolate on this list.)
Although now that I think of it, it is romantic to take a spear of asparagus, dip it in butter and feed it to your mate. But then, it’s romantic to dip almost anything in butter and feed it to someone you love, isn’t it?
What about you? Anything to add to the list?
