LOVE BITES.

Planning a special meal for Valentine’s Day? Here’s the low-down on food that is said to sauce up your sex life. We can’t guarantee this selection of ingredients all work as aphrodisiacs. But it could add fun to creating a menu for dinner with your loved one.

ALMONDS 

Associated with passion and fertility, the smell of almonds is said to excite women, which explains why it is such a common ingredient in soaps and creams.

ANGELICA 

In the 18th century, it was a common cure for frigidity.

ANISEED

or star anise are mild stimulants which in ancient India were powdered and mixed with honey to form an aphrodisiac paste. When rubbed on to the genitals the mixture is said to have had an explosive effect.

ARTICHOKES

According to an old French saying 'artichokes like wine are good for ladies - when gentlemen eat them!'

ASPARAGUS

A classic in the aphrodisiac world, this succulent vegetable with its distinctive taste has a long history as a sexual stimulant. Such were its reputed powers that in 19th century France it was customary for a bridegroom's last meal before his wedding to consist of at least three courses of hot asparagus.

AVOCADO

To the Aztecs this fruit was known as ‘ahucati’ which means 'testicle', but it was left to the Spanish to spread the news of the stimulating power of the avocado, Catholic priests frequently forbade their parishioners to indulge in the avocado.

AUBERGINE

Known as the apple of love, the aubergine has been highly praised as an aphrodisiac. According to the Kama Sutra, rubbing your partner's body with the juice is a sure way to heighten sexual desire.

BANANAS 

It may be its shape – but the banana is seen as source of erotic energy in the Tantric tradition. There’s not really any science behind it – although banana skin, rather than the fruit itself, is a rich source of bufotenine, a hallucinogen. 

CARROTS

According to the ancient Greeks every inch of a carrot is rich in aphrodisiac properties- so much so that they are said to have eaten the roots, seeds and foliage before indulging in an orgy.

CELERY

The stimulating effects of celery are well known in Sweden where the author Hagdahl described celery as 'straightforwardly arousing'. Crushed celery seeds are said to be especially potent and can be used in breads or salad dressing.

CHOCOLATE

One of the undisputed kings of aphrodisiacs, chocolate has long been used to stoke the flames of passion the world over. Legendary bed hopper Casanova was a serious chocolate addict, always tucking into a bar or two before retiring to his boudoir.

FENNEL

Both the leaves and seeds were used by ancient Greeks to stimulate the erogenous zones. Fennel soup is also said to arouse desire.

FIGS

Originally from Syria, this erotic, fleshy fruit is said to be a powerful sexual stimulant. Ritual copulation followed the arrival of the new fig crop in ancient Greece and it is supposed to have been Cleopatra's favourite fruit.

MUSTARD

In the middle ages, mustard was believed to be hot in more ways than one. Pythagoras was an admirer of mustard and in Biblical times it was known as 'the greatest of herbs'.

PINE NUTS

These nuts are rich in zinc, a lack of which is supposed to cause impotence and infertility in men. The great Roman poet Ovid in his work 'The Art of Love' selected ' the nuts that the sharp-leafed pine brings forth' as an effective and powerful aphrodisiac.

RASPBERRIES & STRAWBERRIES

Combined with champagne, fresh raspberries and strawberries are regarded as powerful aphrodisiacs. Both invite love and are often referred to in erotic literature as fruit nipples.


 

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