Aphrodisiac foods?

Research by some scientists in England says that you should drink pomergranate juice for 15 days for good sex, yes, it was in an article in the Times of India. Hmm. got to buy some anaars (pomegranates) before the prices go up. 

Bet you've heard the joke about the man who was told to eat a dozen oysters before his wedding night, his well meaning friend asked him how it went the next morning, the man was upset and replied " Humbug, only six of them worked"!

Hotel kitchens are full of myths and stories around the approdisiac properties of food. Our chefs have various recipies for what they call 'Palang Tod' or bed breaker food,  recipes passed with a nudge and a wink from one chef to another, guaranteed to enhance performance.

One that chefs at The Oberoi New Delhi used to make was the mutton ishtew (stew), the duty was assigned to one of the cooks  in the afternoon shift. Cubes of mutton on the bone were cleaned and put into a large pot along with cloves, green and black cardamom, cinnamon, nutgmeg, mace, cumin seed, ghee (clarified butter), ginger,  lots of garlic, tomatoes, onions and lots of fresh cilantro. The whole thing was stirred over a flame till the meat caramelised and then the pot was covered with a lid which was sealed with dough and left to simmer for seven to eight hours on a low flame. 

At dinnertime, the lid would come off and there was a wonderful, flavourful stew, the meat delightfully tender falling off the bone, this would be accompanied by tandoori roti (an Indian flat bread baked in an earthen oven). The long slow process ensured a thick gravy with all the goodness of the meat and the bones that the cooks felt added that extra to performance.

Another chef friend of mine would lovingly make lobster thermidor, this served with rice was his idea of  a winner combination for the sack race :-), others would vouch for the dark freshly squeezed juice of passionate red grapes.

Ripe bananas are another favorite, probably the potassium helping to keep the heart healthy and of course if the heart is healthy and throbbing well, it does the same for other parts.

At the end of the day I guess  what really do the trick are the stress reducing micronutrients in food, fresh, healthful ingredients that keep on cleaning the arteries and washing away harmful clots.

Some people swear by the wonders of wine, especially Champagne, a couple of glasses with the object of your affection (or seduction)  helping to smooth the way to the silky sheets. However before throwing too many down the hatch, remember - wine makes the spirit willing but the flesh weak ;-)