Food can be a powerful tool—well, strike that, good food can be a powerful tool. With the right meal, you can successfully seduce your special someone, so much so that you can barely finish the meal before you’re tearing into one another.
But the real questions is, what should you whip up in the kitchen if you’re trying to get things going in the bedroom?
Well, for starters, you should know what foods to avoid in this particular scenario. In a blog from Adam and Eve, sexologist Dr. Kat recommended staying away from anything too spicy. Really, it’s better to stay away from anything that contains peppers all together, as it can be hard to get the peppery residue off your hands and skin. Sometimes you won’t even know it’s still there until things get a little heated between the two of you later on, and when they do, they’ll really start to burn—literally. I understand that some people are beyond obsessed with sriracha, but trust me on this one and give the ol’ rooster a break for one night.
Now, before you get up in arms saying that spicy foods are aphrodisiacs, I admit that it’s true that chili peppers are reported to raise your state of arousal. However, there are plenty of other substitutes that won’t cause your night to end in a rushed trip to the emergency room. According to an article from Reader’s Digest, there are 19 foods that have been proven to spark romance. Some of them are standard, well-known aphrodisiacs like oysters and chocolate, along with fruits like strawberries, pomegranates, and figs. But there are some that you probably never knew could help get things going between you and your partner.
For example, the next time you’re planning a romantic meal, you could get things going with this recipe for Pesto and Tomato Crostini from Betty Crocker. Top yours with some peppery arugula for a triple whammy of aphrodisiacs right out of the gate—pine nuts and olive oil in the pesto along with fresh arugula, a well-documented libido booster since first century A.D.
For your main course, you could give Oysters Rockefeller a go for a side, or try your hand at a salad with fennel, an additional aphrodisiac noted here by Cooking Channel. You could also incorporate the herb into your main dish by whipping up something like fennel-rubbed chicken or pork chops.
Finally, for dessert, try some of the fruits Reader’s Digest recommends, with additional aphrodisiac toppings like chocolate, whipped cream, and honey.
There are plenty of ways to help put you and your partner in the mood, some of them a little more effective than others. If you haven’t given aphrodisiacs a try yet, you may surprised by just how well they work. Hell, even if they don’t work, you still get to eat some amazing food, right? Come on, what do you have to lose?
