Bond between food and sex has been constant in every culture

Southeast Missourian/Stephan Frazier

"Better Than, Better Than Sex Cake" with Valentine's Day conversation hearts candy.

They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. It's a truth worth contemplating as Valentine's Day approaches. After all, as the poet Turgenev observed, "The genius of love and the genius of hunger... are the two moving forces behind all living things." In other words, all living things must feed and reproduce, or to put it bluntly, the two most important things to the human race are eating and sex. (As to which is more important, perhaps Talleyrand had it right when he said, "Show me another pleasure like dinner that comes every day and lasts an hour.")

Given the centrality of food and sex, it's hardly surprising that they are often associated. That association is ancient and universal. As Isabel Allende notes, "Ever since the first humans dropped a vulture or rat carcass on glowing coals and then celebrated that agape with festive fornication, the bond between food and sex has been constant in all cultures." Biblically, as the London "Independent" remarks, "Food and sex have been bedfellows ever since Adam and Eve tasted the forbidden fruit."

Consequently, despite the availability of non-food substances ranging from Spanish fly to Viagra, food has become the natural precursor to romance. As the 16th century French physician Francois Rabelais proclaimed, "Venus taketh cold when not accompanied by Ceres and Bacchus," which is to say that love is muted when not in the company of food and drink. The authors of "The Sex Book" are surely correct when they claim, "Sharing food and wine must be the most common act of foreplay on the planet."

The search for foods which foster romance -- called aphrodisiacs after Aphrodite who, not coincidentally, was the goddess of both love and crops --is age old. And there's hardly a food, including green M&Ms, that at one time or another hasn't been identified as one able to create, in the words of an early Encyclopaedia Britannica article on the subject, "an inclination to venery."

As the "Cambridge World History of Food" explains, some foods have been labeled aphrodisiacs because of their resemblance to genitalia. Asparagus is a case in point. Thus, according to Bert Greene, in 19th century France a bridegroom's prenuptial dinner traditionally contained three servings of the vegetable. (I suppose those who could afford such extravagance were objects of asparagus envy.)

The aphrodisiacal reputation of other foods is based on mythology. For example, since sparrows were said to be sacred to Aphrodite, their eggs were often prescribed in love potions. Still other foods were assumed to "provoke lust," merely because of their remote origin. Thus, even the American potato was seen as an aphrodisiac when introduced to Europe.

Allende, whose book, by the way, includes a recipe for "soup for orgies" (it serves 10), suggests that anything with a French name seems aphrodisiac while the late Johan Santesson, creator of a Web site on the subject, argues that anything expensive does.

Whatever the case, and bearing in mind the Roman prostitute's insight that kissing and hugging are the most powerful aphrodisiacs, you might want to serve the following foods on Valentines Day:

Oysters: the most famous aphrodisiac, its reputation persists from ancient times. Oysters contain zinc, which, it turns out, increases testosterone.

Figs: there's probably a reason this was Cleopatra's favorite fruit.

Garlic: for thousands of years garlic has been alleged to prompt women to fall in love and to make men powerful. And, perhaps, it does, but most likely only when both partners consume it. We do know that chickens lay better when fed garlic.

Truffles: the gastronome Brillat-Savarin identified truffles as erotic back in 1825. More recently, cookbook author Paula Wolfert has echoed the saying that those who wish to lead virtuous lives had better abstain from them.

Champagne: an old saying has it that whiskey makes a girl stop arguing, beer soothes her, gin disarms her, rum cajoles her, but champagne arouses her. Casanova must have thought so, for he poured the bubbly for all his conquests.

Chocolate: long ago chocolate was banned from monasteries, and for good reason. It may be the champion of aphrodisiacs. The Aztec ruler Montezuma drank 50 cups of the stuff each day to maintain his virility and Madame DuBarry served it to every suitor. Today we know that chocolate contains a chemical that stimulates euphoria.

The erotic potential of these foods notwithstanding, perhaps Allende is right when she says, "Everything cooked for a lover is sensual." (For insurance she recommends shedding a garment or two as the meal is prepared.) Certainly there's no denying her conclusion that "the only truly infallible aphrodisiac is love."

Better Than Better-Than-Sex Cake

This seductive dessert is an enhanced version of the original Better-Than-Sex Cake, a staple of American community cookbooks. It's adapted from Elaine Corn's irresistibly titled book, "Gooey Desserts," which also contains recipes for Better-Than-Robert Redford Cake and Better-Than-Tom Selleck Cake.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 sticks butter, divided

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 1/4 cups flour, divided

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

8 ounces cream cheese

6 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, divided

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 and 1/2 cups cream, divided

20 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1 jar caramel sauce

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/3-cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Cut up 2 sticks butter and place in food processor with 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 cups flour. Process until a coarse mixture results. Press mixture on bottom of a buttered 9-by-13-inch pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees until golden. Cool completely. Meanwhile, whisk together 1/2-cup sugar, 1/4-cup flour, and 2 cups milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Beat egg yolks to blend and whisk into them a little of the hot mixture. Whisk yolk mixture back into remaining hot mixture and cook another 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla and 2 tablespoons butter until incorporated. Pour pudding into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap directly on surface and chill. Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and lemon juice until fluffy. Whip 1 cup cream to medium-stiff peaks. Stir a scoop of whipped cream into cream cheese mixture to lighten and fold in remainder. Spread cream cheese mixture over baked crust. Top with pineapple. Pour caramel sauce over. Spread with pudding. Beat remaining 1 and 1/2 cups cream with powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spread over top of cake. Melt chocolate chips with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and drizzle decoratively over top of cake. Serves 12.

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