Aphrodisiac Dinner for Valentine's Day

The idea of certain foods being aphrodisiacs is quite old. Ancient Greeks like Pliny and Dioscordes documented the power of certain foods to have an effect upon one's mood and libido, while The Arabian Night Tales are replete with allusions to aromas and flavors that incite desire and increase fertility. Whether one chooses to believe in aphrodisiac effects or not, there is no doubt that food prepared with love becomes special. Valentine's Day is often framed solely in terms of roses and chocolate, both of which are rightly praised for their seductive fragrance and flavour. Yet, as I am pondering the aphrodisiac menu to appear in Bois de Jasmin's Friday Flavor column, I would like to offer something that is somewhat more surprising.  Please return next week to see the first installment.  Needless to say, this shall be a marriage of flavor and fragrance!

Photo of kissing parrots from More Beautiful Wild.

Comments

[Elle]

I'm one of those rare people who doesn't actually care for chocolate and most florist roses have either no smell or only a very faint smell, so I've always viewed both of these as being rather yawn inducing choices for Valentine's Day. I'm definitely looking forward to your more interesting ideas. :-)

[Fleur.de.Lys]

One must always re-invent the tools of seduction, otherwise there would be no element of suprise. The anticipation of pleasure, in food and love, have always comingled. The beautiful parrots you chose to accompany your editorial illustrate the point beautifully.

[BoisdeJasmin]

Elle, I am with you--the florist roses are bred for looks, not scent. I actually do not like getting them at all. My favourite flowers tend to be scented (even if lightly)--tulips, hyacinths, daffodils.

Thank you, I hope that the features will be enjoyable!

[BoisdeJasmin]

Fleur de Lys, most definitely! I cannot agree more with this.

I am glad that you liked the picture of parrots. I was touched when I first saw it.

[risa]

isabel allende wrote a great book/cookbook - Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses - about the nature and use of aphrodisiac foods. it's one of the few cookbooks i actually use; i'm more prone to make up my own recipes as i go along.

i've always associated irises with valentine's day, not only because they're my favorite flower, but because the petals and sepals always seemed very... well, similar to genitalia ;) the smell of an iris flower is far more sweet and tenacious than the root, and i really enjoy the smell of the flower and hope someday to recreate it. the smell of fresh irises combined with the smell of 70% gourmet dark chocolate from Sao Thome or Grenada is just heavenly...

by the way, thank you so much for posting the Saffron Kiss Cake recipe! sounds delicious!

[BoisdeJasmin]

Risa, I did not know about that cookbook! Sounds amazing.

Recently, Guerlain has created a fragrance called Iris Ganache. It is supposed to combine iris with white chocolate. We shall see what it is going to be like.