The choice of what ingredient to feature this month was simple. As the official blogger of the upcoming Napa Truffle Festival, I have truffles on the brain! And since they are one of nature’s most exciting winter gifts, I thought they would make the perfect food to launch a new year of aphrodisiacs of the month.
Truffles have been held in regard as aphrodisiac since the times of ancient Greece and Rome. Part of their allure is their rarity. Technically fungi with a symbiotic relationship to certain tree roots, truffles are only found in a handful of places around the world. And although their scent can be one of the most alluring aphrodisiacs to the human sense of smell (more on that later), our noses are not good enough to detect these culinary delectables growing underground. That is why we’ve employed pigs or dogs for centuries to help us in the search and discovery of truffles.
Although dogs must be trained to seek out the fungus, female pigs are natural truffle hunters. You see, the scent of truffles is extremely similar to a male (both pig and human) pheromone. This is the reason modern science believes truffles are so successful as an aphrodisiac.
Those of us who have been so fortunate to taste the earthy, subtle, and slightly exotic notes of truffle may feel there’s more to the allure than scent alone. And some great figures throughout history would likely agree. Napoleon ate truffles to increase his masculine potency.
Like Napoleon, Europe’s great gastronome Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin became one of truffles' greatest proponents. On the subject, Savarin is quoted as saying: “Truffle. As soon as the word is spoken, it awakens lustful and erotic memories among the skirt-wearing sex and erotic and lustful memories among the beard-wearing sex. This honorable parallelism comes not only from the fact that this esteemed tuber is delicious, but also because it is still believed to bring about potency, the exercise of which brings sweet pleasure.”
Throughout history, truffles, both black and white, have been dubbed everything from the “diamonds of cookery” to the “testicles of the earth.” But I believe it is the caution of an old proverb that best represents truffles’ aphrodisiac appeal throughout the ages, “Those who wish to live virtuous lives should abstain from truffles.”
For more of Amy’s information on aphrodisiacs, visit http://www.eatsomethingsexy.com/wordpress/aphrodisiac-foods/
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