Aphrodisiac

EAT YOUR HEART OUT

TEXT VERONICA AN + IAN GRESIK

VISUAL ASHLEY GUO

It’s a little silky and a little sweet. Juices slide down your tongue, coating your lips, sticking to the corners of your mouth. The second taste is a little earthier, more savory, unique, and complex.

You loosen your belt, roll up your sleeves, melting into a more comfortable position. Then, the second course arrives.

Tasting, savoring, swallowing—eating. The mechanics of consuming food parallels desire and our own hunger for intimacy; even the word “appetite” is used consistently to reference someone’s libido. After a dinner date, you may still be hungry for more. Even today, being “thirsty” is a synonym for romantic desperation (#thirsttrapthursday). In the hierarchy of human needs, food and sex both rank pretty high.

According to Psychology Today, the giddy feeling you get when first meeting someone comes courtesy of chemical stimulants phenylethylamine (PEA), and norepinephrine (NE). This combination of chemicals makes you feel satisfied, the same way you feel satisfied after eating a meal.

Just look at the #foodgasm or #foodporn hashtags on Instagram, both of which have tens of millions of hits, and it becomes clear that pop culture conflates eating and sex. A luscious scoop of vanilla bean ice cream melting over a chewy cocoa brownie is enough to get me drooling, and all the better if there’s alcohol involved.

Sharing a meal together is a basic way to connect and satisfy our needs. Studies even suggest that sharing food boosts intimacy and is one of the sexiest things”you can do with your clothes still on. With that morsel of information in mind, it’s no wonder that newlyweds feed each other cake on their wedding day. This public display of affection and attraction centers around eating. Wedding cakes are a symbol of love and togetherness—a precursor to the intimacy to be had on the wedding night and honeymoon.

Ad agencies were making food sexy long before the era of Mad Men. Carl’s Jr., for instance, infamously sexualized models like Paris Hilton and Padma Lakshmi for their ads. While their sensual devouring of otherwise unsexy fast food may be unflatteringly sexist examples of advertising gone wrong, their intention of combining two of the most pleasurable activities known to man isn’t far off the mark.

Sex is all about the senses, and taste is one the most visceral, if often underutilized. Forget the mood lighting and 10,000 thread count sheets—teasing the tastebuds is a sure way to the heart.

We spoke with Pasadena chef Ian Gresik, owner of The Arbour, who shared some romantic recipes to whet the appetite. Chili might not be the sexiest of foods, but this ingenious recipe repurposes beef fat as a candle to set the mood for dinner (and other nighttime activities).

End the night on a sweet note with a passion fruit soufflé. The tantalizing soufflé is impressive on its own, but the addition of passion fruit (an aphrodisiac), makes this dessert irresistible. 

The science is still out on how effective aphrodisiac foods are, but if you believe that you are what you eat, certain foods could definitely get you in the mood, and eating passionately with choice ingredients could lead to a better night. The placebo effect could work its magic on other organs, too. 

There’s no denying the bond between food and flirting. And, if you’re lucky, food and sex. Take romance to the next level—eat your heart out. ҂

PASSION FRUIT SOUFFLÉ

INGREDIENTS

8 oz passion fruit juice

8 oz coconut milk

5 oz sugar

4 tbsp cornstarch

4 egg yolks

1 oz butter

8 oz egg whites

1 oz unsalted butter

1 oz sugar

DIRECTIONS

Mix passion fruit juice, coconut milk, and sugar 

in medium pot over medium heat and bring to a boil.

Temper liquid with egg yolk and cornstarch. 

Cook until thick. Add butter and cool.

Whip egg whites in medium bowl to firm peaks. 

Fold egg whites into cooled passion fruit mixture.

Add mixture into 4 oz soufflé ramekin, 

filling ramekin to the top.

Bake at 400° for 12–14 minutes.

BEEF CHILI

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs 70-30 beef

4 oz flour

3 oz salt

1 tbsp black pepper

2 oz smoked paprika

3 oz chili powder

1 oz cayenne pepper

1 large onion (finely chopped)

½ head garlic (finely chopped)

10 oz tomato purée

8 oz beef stock

2 oz olive oil

DIRECTIONS

In medium saucepan, brown the ground beef 

in olive oil over medium heat.

Once browned, add salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, 

chili powder, cayenne pepper, finely chopped onion, 

and finely chopped garlic. Mix together.

Add flour into meat mixture and stir until thick.

Add tomato purée and beef stock.

Continue cooking over low heat for 20 minutes.