An A to Z aphrodisiacs guide

NUTMEG: In India, mixed with honey and a half-boiled egg, then taken one hour before lovemaking. Test Kitchen recipe to try: Apple Fig Bread Pudding with Maple Walnut Sauce

OYSTERS: Probably the most famous of the aphrodisiac foods. Erotic in both taste and appearance (a bit like a woman's genitals). Also full of zinc, a mineral vital in the production of healthy sperm. Check out our collection of oyster recipes.

PINE NUTS: Used to increase sexual potency since Roman times. According to The Perfumed Garden (see M entry), "He who feels that he is weak for coition should drink before going to bed a glassful of very thick honey and eat twenty almonds and one hundred grains of the pine tree." Test Kitchen recipe to try: Mixed Greens with Pine Nuts and Mustard Dressing

QUINCE: Sweet and fragrant. Believed to be the forbidden fruit that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.

ROSEMARY: Thought to increase blood flow and therefore heighten sensitivity to touch. Test Kitchen recipe to try: Grilled Chicken with Rosemary

SPANISH FLY: Made from the dried-out bodies of beetles; works by "stimulating" the urinary track; can be dangerous.

TOMATOES: In nineteenth century France, tomatoes became known as pommes d'amour or "love apples." Test Kitchen recipe to try: Grape Tomato Bursts

UNAGI: Made from sea eel; thought to restore strength.

VANILLA: Comes from the native Mexican orchid and has been considered an aphrodisiac for centuries. Test Kitchen recipe to try: Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast

WALNUTS: Thrown at weddings by ancient Romans, who believed they held aphrodisiac powers. Test Kitchen recipe to try: Honey Walnut Tart

XANAT: Also known as the "Vanilla Orchid"; named after the daughter of the Mexican fertility goddess who loved a Totonac youth. Not being able to marry the boy because of her divine status, she turned herself into the vanilla orchid so that she could always belong to her human beloved and to spread "pleasure and happiness" throughout mankind.

YOHIMBINE: Extracted from Yohimbine bark, it increases blood flow. Should be taken in moderation.

ZINC: Directly related to sperm quality and therefore fertility. Check out our diet file on zinc.

Excerpted from Love Notes by Amy Maniatis, Elizabeth Weil and Natasha Bondy. Copyright 2006 by Amy Maniatis, Elizabeth Weil and Natasha Bondy. Excerpted, with permission by Raincoasts Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Aphrodisiacs menu for Valentine's Day
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Valentines dinner a deux
Set a table for two and enjoy a night of romance starting with this intimate menu.