
Aphrodisiacs Quiz for Valentine’s Day and beyond!
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Here is a little quiz based on my book on aphrodisiacs; Food for Love . Don’t worry if you haven’t read it yet, you can do that later!
Aphrodisiac Questions
1. Which nut did the writer Colette spurn because she thought that “they add weight to the breasts”?
~ Brazil nuts
~ Almond
~ Cobnuts
~ Walnuts
2. What do Hindus traditionally leave on the doorstep to indicate that a marriage is about to take place?
~ A handful of rice
~ A banana
~ A jar of honey
~ A coconut
3. And which food do the Amish traditionally associate with weddings?
~ Carrots
~ Sauerkraut
~ Celery
~ Candy


4. What did Casanova say could “restore an old love and … ripen a young one.”?
~ Champagne
~ Cheese
~ Chocolate
~ Something else starting with Ch!
5. Who wrote a long, strange and rather naughty Poem called “Figs”?
~ Philip Larkin
~ Oscar Wilde
~ D.H. Lawrence
~ Allen Ginsberg

6. Which of these is NOT considered to have aphrodisiac qualities?
~ Baboon urine
~ Horny goat weed
~ Stinky toe
~ Spanish fly

7. Ginger derives its name from a Sanskrit word, srngaveram, meaning …
~ Healing root
~ Horn-shaped
~ Tickling stick
~ Sweet heat
8. Who said “If you have no Honey in your Pot, have some in your Mouth.”?
~ Benjamin Franklin
~ Mark Twain
~ Walt Whitman
~ Henry David Thoreau

9. What is held to be the ideal length for a vanilla pod?
~ The longer the better
~ A good 6 inches
~ 11cm
~ 125mm
10. What fruit was known by the Aztecs as the Testicle Tree, in their own language, of course — ahuacacuauhitl?
~ Granadilla
~ Papaya
~ Avocado
~ Soursop
11. Which herb is known in Italy as “bacia-nicola” which means “kiss me Nicholas”?
~ Oregano
~ Marjoram
~ Sage
~ Basil

12. Which food did the Talmud say that people, “even women”, should eat on the Sabbath, because it “promotes love and arouses desire”?
~ Roast Chicken
~ Gefilte Fish
~ Garlic
~ Locusts

13. Which spice is thought to increase a man’s sex drive?
~ Cinnamon
~ Turmeric
~ Cumin
~ Coriander
14. In France long ago (and sometimes even now!) what was served to newlyweds after the celebrations were over because of its supposed aphrodisiac qualities?
~ Pain au Chocolat
~ French Onion Soup
~ Crème Brulée
~ Tarte Flambée
15. Two of these delicious treats have aphrodisiac qualities. What do you think they are?
~ Chocolate
~ Red wine
~ Ice Cream
~ Champagne

Wait – you’re not cheating are you?
Before we get to the answers and as a way of helping you not to cheat by causing an obstruction, allow me to interrupt this blog to mention here’s a picture of my aforementioned book, Food for Love, which includes …
~ The 17 most convincing (at least to me) aphrodisiac foods
~ Some background on each one
~ 46 recipes plus other delicious ideas of what to do with them
~ A little bit about their nutritional benefits
~ A brief mention of other, seemingly lesser, aphrodisiacs
~ One or two possibly suggestive food photos
~ Some rude comments and, of course,
~ Double entendres.

This book is perfect for those who agree with Gael Greene who said …
“Great food is like great sex.
The more you have the more you want.”
OK here they are ~ the Answers!
1. Almonds
2. Banana
3. Celery
4. Cheese – so if you want to get in the mood here are no less than 65 cheese ideas and recipes.
5. D.H. Lawrence – read the poem here.
6. Stinky toe – more about stinky toes here.
7. Horn shaped
8. Benjamin Franklin
9. A good 6 inches – lots of different ways to get your vanilla here.
10. Avocado
11. Basil
12. Garlic – here are lots of different ways to enjoy this tasty aphrodisiac.
13. Cinnamon – this contains manganese which is, apparently, essential to sexual health and they do say that cinnamon oil rubbed on the appropriate areas is a power sexual stimulant. I’m not sure doing that with counts as an aphrodisiac quality but eating it certainly does.
14. The onion soup – onions have long been known as one of the greatest aphrodisiacs. If you want to test this theory out here’s my French Onion Soup recipe and, just in case they work too, my recipes for Crème Brulée and Tarte Flambée.
15. They are chocolate and red wine, happily for me! Dark chocolate is most effective and here are lots of lovely chocolate recipes for you.
How did you do?

Suzy Bowler
Having been a somewhat itinerant chef for over 30 years I was amazed, on my return to the UK, at the blatant food waste that now seems to be rife in the country; amazed and irritated. So much so that I decided to start a blog about spontaneous cooking from leftovers to show people that there are great alternatives to throwing food away.