Food & Dining: Romancing with Food

On this Valentine’s Day, create a homemade celebration to stimulate the senses.
My husband and I no longer dine out on Valentine’s Day. After years of doing exactly that, we have realized that even if one manages to score an optimal time slot at a coveted restaurant, these restaurants try to capitalize on this busy day by pushing pricey pre-fixed menus. Not to mention that their service also suffers as they try to rush through as many diners as possible.
Instead, we now prefer to splurge on high-end ingredients to create our own special five-course dining experience at home to celebrate this day of Cupid. It usually involves a nice bottle of champagne or wine, the kind we reserve for special occasions, along with delicacies like jumbo lump crab cakes, curry lobster with Thai sticky rice, and dark chocolate lava cake.
We make it romantic by incorporating foods known to have amorous qualities, such as oysters, cheese fondue, truffles, chocolates, and strawberries. Following are just some of the many foods, fruits, and spices that can have aphrodisiac effects: apples, artichokes, asparagus, almonds, figs, bananas, strawberries, honey, ginger, saffron, apricots, cherries, coconut, dates, grapes, mangoes, papayas, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranates, raspberries, and, of course, chocolate.
Our South Asian heritage is blessed with a rich legacy of love and desire. The Taj Mahal, one of the world's wonders, stands as a testament to Emperor Shah Jahan’s love for Mumtaz Mahal. Khajuraho is known worldwide for its erotic sculptures. Kama Sutra, the most venerated tome on all matters of Cupid, was written in India.
Cook with aphrodisiacs
Our food does not lack love, either. The ancient science of Ayurveda mentions some everyday ingredients in the Indian subcontinent that have aphrodisiac properties. For example, cinnamon, the sweet spice, has been historically used to treat infertility, impotence, and lack of sexual desire. This time of year, you may be able to warm your body and heart by throwing a cinnamon stick into a cup of hot punch or mulled wine and serving it with homemade cinnamonsugar shakarpara.
Charaka Samhita, one of the oldest Sanskrit texts, mentions amla, or Indian gooseberry, as an aid for sexual indulgence. Make gooseberry jam or chutney and serve it with assorted cheese and crackers on a charcuterie board as a starter.
With its sweet aroma and radiant red color with specks of golden-orange, kesar, or saffron, has long been believed, in ancient Indian and Egyptian cultures, to have aphrodisiac properties promoting male fertility. Saffron is easy to incorporate into drinks, as well as sweet and savory dishes. Saffron rice, cooked with cardamom and cloves, and topped with chopped almonds and raisins, makes for a wonderful side dish to the main meal.
[Right] This Valentine's Day, skip the dining out and create your own romantic, five-course dining experience at home. (Photo: DALL-E AI)
You have probably heard of or seen aunties leaving the bridegroom a glass of hot milk infused with sugar and crushed almonds on his wedding night. Did you ever wonder how this tradition came about? Some say that milk, sugar, and honey are ingredients in most Kama Sutra aphrodisiac recipes. End your meal with homemade kheer and rose milk cake, or serve a shot glass of warm haldi-doodh, the traditional recipe of milk infused with turmeric, along with the dessert. It will also help you digest the meal more easily.
Make it visually sensual
Most days, we are too busy to think about plating the food and just want to gobble it down quickly. But food is supposed to be sensory and sensual, evoking all the senses and leaving a lasting impression. From first seeing the dish, smelling its aroma, and taking your first bite to feeling the different textures and flavors in your mouth, you should have a pleasing experience on many levels.
Think about how to present your dinner artfully this Valentine's Day. You could simply garnish it with herbs and edible flowers and serve on elegant plating. Or, if you want to get more creative, try using red-colored foods such as beetroot tikki, pomegranate salad, or red lentils. Rose-based mithai like gulkand barfi, rose sandesh, and rose malai laddoo can be shaped to look like rose petals.
Create a romantic ambiance
Ever wonder why high-end restaurants are so dimly lit and why the food is served in so many small courses? Soft, dim lighting, instrumental or light mood music, comfortable seating, and not too distracting décor enable people to enjoy their food and the atmosphere, making them feel like they are getting a grand experience. Set the home environment to unwind and relax so you can truly cherish your romantic dinner date.
When you go to a restaurant and your server tells you a fascinating story about how the wine was made using a thousand-year-old grape varietal from a familyrun farm that uses biodynamic farming techniques on a small village in Spain overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, you can almost picture the scene and taste the salty air yourself! We human beings love to hear stories, and these stories influence our experience.
[Left] The “elixir” that is a staple for the honeymoon night of the newlyweds in India—warm milk with saffron, turmeric, and chopped nuts. (Photo: DALL-E AI)
So, go ahead and tell your diners about how you purchased the cardamom during one of your trips to a spice farm in the moisture-rich lush-green hills of Kerala, and describe your first memory of your smiling grandmother feeding you long, slender, and fluffy grains of Basmati rice with her hands like it was the best thing you ever tasted. Share your fondest memories about food, tales of where and how you learned to cook certain dishes, and fun historical facts about it.
Eating is all about pleasure, not just physical but also for the soul. So this Valentine’s Day, go ahead and romance with food.
Sucheta Rawal is an award-winning food and travel writer who has traveled to over 120 countries across seven continents, experiencing the world through her palate. She inspires people to travel more meaningfully and sustainably through her nonprofit, Go Eat Give, and her books, Beato Goes To. Find her on social @SuchetaRawal.
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
blog comments powered by Disqus