Aphrodisiacs - it's what's for dinner!

If you're like tens of thousands of couples in lurve, tomorrow will find you packed into a dimly lit alcove, straining to read menus with words like "prix fixe" and eavesdropping on all those other amorous duos who similarly got their acts together and remembered to a book a reservation before the morning of Valentine's Day thank you very much. Or you can be like adventurous two-somes who have spurned the hottest reservation in town in favor of making a little culinary love concotion with the help of the Food Network, some swearing and a hefty bottle of cooking wine. Whatever your plans for expressing that deep burning love for that special someome, it typically involves food, followed by the express hope that the feeding will continue long after you've left the table. What's your idea of food for scoring? Some slow cooked risotto perhaps? A 70% cacao bar of the darkest, sexiest chocolate flecked with ginger and hints of toffee? Or how about some testicles?

Robert Siestema has written a saucy little piece in Salon today about the history of aphrodisiacs, pointing out that the more the food resembles a sex organ, the more likely its been consumed in the name of getting some action. That said, bon appetit!