In some locales, a fish supper followed by an ice cream cone is the perfect preamble to a passionate evening.
But if you’ve got your eye on a partner who’s a little higher maintenance, you might want to impress them with cuisine that gets the taste buds tingling, pulses racing and hormones raging.
If you hunger for the food of love, here are five exotic ingredients for romance.
- Oysters
Oysters have built a reputation as an aphrodisiac since Roman times and were later said to be a staple part of Casanova’s diet.
So they’re highly recommended by history, and contain zinc and serotonin which might induce with pleasure-inducing effects. And although the scientific evidence for oysters triggering desire is patchy, their reputation precedes them — meaning the placebo effect might feel real anyway.
Top tip — wining and dining in Glasgow? Rockefeller and Mornay oysters from Rogano are recommended.
- Chocolate
The passion power of chocolate has been championed for eons — Aztec emperor Montezuma is said to have stacked his cupboards high with the ancient equivalents of mars bars to strengthen his legendary libido.
It contains two chemicals which might trigger desire — phenylethylamine and tryptophan. So if you’re in charge of picking a pudding on your romantic date, choosing something with copious amounts of chocolate won’t do any harm.
Top tip: if you’re cooking at home, Waitrose stock a sublime chocolate melting middle pudding.
- Chilli
Whether you hanker for jalapenos or are a sucker for scotch bonnets, chillies raise your physical temperature, boost your heart rate, increase blood flow and make those nerve endings sizzle and snap.
So lacing food liberally with these hot bells of hell might spice up your evening in more ways than one — but don’t overdo it or you’ll be gasping for air.
Top tip: savour London’s best jerk chicken at Rudie’s on Stoke Newington Road.
- Watermelon
Apart from tasting delicious, watermelon is packed with citrulline, which relaxes blood vessels around the body in a similar way to certain medications.
It also has high levels of antioxidants and Vitamin C, so it’s excellent for reducing blood pressure and preventing asthma.
Top tip: If you’re dancing after dinner, watermelon makes a light and refreshing dessert option.
- Maca
Maca is a root vegetable which hails from Peru — it has legendary aphrodisiac qualities, heightens your awareness and supercharges your stamina.
So it sounds like a vital ingredient for including in any seductive meal — provided you can get your hands on a Peruvian recipe book that unlocks the secrets of proper preparation.
Top tip: Grab some maca superfood powder from natural wellbeing brand Kijani Living if you want to use it as a dietary supplement.
If you can create a three-course meal that somehow includes our five superfoods, you might be in for a night to remember. But please proceed with caution — there’s a fine line between insatiable passion and painful indigestion.
That’s our list! Please share your own passion foods in the comments section.
