Well not if
you’re a hardworking Chocolatier burning the midnight
oil and failing to get it on with your other half! For the
rest of us however chocolate might just tickle the parts
that oysters fail to reach! Need more convincing?….read
on….
The ancient
Mayans drank it for fertility, and the Aztecs were
convinced that chocolate was a potent aphrodisiac. King
Montezuma had rather a large harem which, as all harem
keepers know, requires considerable dedication to satisfy.
Fifty cups of chocolate a day later and Monte was a happy
man. It’s difficult to know of course which part of the
heady mix worked. A known active ingredient is the
stimulant theobromine, but there may have been other
stimulants added to that heady mix. This chocolate drink
flavoured with spices such as vanilla and chilli peppers
was even exchanged as
a part of the Mayan marriage ceremony.
More recently
studies of popular aphrodisiacs including chocolate have
shown that phenylethylamine is present, a relative of
amphetamines that peaks when you fall in love, and surges
into the brain during orgasm! The testosterone levels of
ladies have been shown to increase after eating chocolate.
Chocolate also contains Serotonin,
a neurotransmitter that produces feelings of pleasure in a
similar way to sunlight, and has been shown to be elevated
for the first year of falling in love.
Even without
these ingredients chocolate is of course a sensual
experience involving sight, touch, sound, smell and taste.
The dark shiny colour, the smooth touch, the snap as you
break it, the subtle aromas and that unctuous melt in the
mouth experience all contribute to the feel good factor.
It has
been said that in the 17th century ladies
living in San Cristobal de la Casas, Mexico, fortified
themselves with a cup of hot chocolate whilst attending
high mass. Outraged at such consumption in the house of
God, the Bishop subsequently banned the drink. The ladies
left the church and the Bishop met an untimely end by
drinking chocolate laced with poison!
The Bishop should have known - Never separate a
lady from her chocolate!
The famous
Venetian womaniser Giacomo Casanova called chocolate the
"elixir of love” and drank a mug of drinking
cocoa before embarking on a lovemaking conquest. Not
surprisingly he was more successful than his modern day
counterpart, who drinks four pints of lager before
staggering across the dance floor!
So
should chocolate be considered an Aphrodisiac?
Perhaps
the best suggestion, purely in the pursuit of scientific
endeavour, is to carry out an independent experiment. Give
your lover a box of fine
handmade chocolates, settle down in a candle lit room with
the music on low, a glass of wine, and see where the mood
takes you!
As
for us, time to put the Oompah Loompahs to bed ready for
tomorrows chocolate making.
Matthew
Short
www.lickthespoon.co.uk
