Sex sells. And nothing speaks to the sheer success of this advertising mantra quite like oysters. Because despite resembling wet loogies, these slippery, salty molluscs are considered the food du jour for a romantic night out. In fact, we’re so convinced that they’re vital tools of seduction that sales of oysters soar in the UK around Valentine’s Day. But that’s what the day has come to revolve around, along with chocolates, champagne, caviar and truffles. All are claimed to send us into a sexual stupor.
But just how lusty do these foods actually make us? Does science back up their titillating claims? It turns out: not really. Chocolate has the longest-running association with sex among the aforementioned Valentine’s staples, and is believed to have been an aphrodisiac among the Aztecs. Rumour had it that Aztec ruler Moctezuma consumed up to 50 mugs of the stuff a day – although historians believe this to be something of an over-exaggeration. Surely the only thing to be achieved from drinking that much chocolate is a Guinness World Record for time spent on the toilet. Still, there’s no doubt that our ancestors believed strongly in the erotic power of chocolate.
