VIVA ITALIA!!!
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Posted on 06/01/2007 11:43:22 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Spicy sausages and smelly cheese hold the secrets to good sex, not oysters or champagne, an Italian poll has revealed.
A quarter of Italian women said salami was their favourite aphrodisiac, while 21 per cent chose cheese. Other culinary delights that fan Italian libidos include risotto alla Milanese, which is flavoured with saffron, and plates of steamed vegetables, which both attracted 12 per cent of the vote.
Oysters, which are traditionally considered to be aphrodisiacs but are relatively rare in Italy, did not feature at all in the survey published by Telecom Italia.
Italian food is not often praised for its ability to make the heart flutter, but Alessandro Di Gregorio, the director of the Artes Centre for Assisted Procreation, said: "The benefits of the Mediterranean diet on libido are clear."
He linked the consumption of Nduja, a fiercely hot salami from Calabria, with an increase in blood flow.
"Chilli helps release a peptide in the gut which is like natural Viagra," he said.
Bruno Giammusso, a doctor who specialises in male impotence, said that Italian specialities "can undoubtedly produce an advantageous effect".
"Food and sex are a magical alchemy of elements," said Serenella Salomoni, an Italian sexologist. "But it is important, with cuisine, to drown all the senses." She advised women to concentrate on how they lifted food to their mouths and chewed "discreetly", to create an intimate atmosphere.
Despite the bold claims of Italian scientists, the common consensus is that aphrodisiacs, love stimulants named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, have little medical value.
I was just going to say “cheese and salami...and wine.”
The salami huh?
Funny, that’s what my ex girlfriend always used to say too.
VIVA ITALIA!!!
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Casu Marzu:
Derived from Pecorino Sardo, casu marzu goes beyond typical fermentation to a stage most would consider to be decomposition, brought about by the digestive action of the larvae of the cheese fly, Piophila casei. These larvae are deliberately introduced to the cheese, promoting an advanced level of fermentation and breaking down the cheese's fats. The texture of the cheese becomes very soft, with some liquid (called "lagrima", from the Sardinian for "tears") seeping out. The larvae themselves appear as transparent, white worms, about 8 mm (1/3 inch) long. When disturbed, the larvae can jump for distances up to 15 cm (6 inches), prompting recommendations of eye protection for those eating the cheese. Some people clear the larvae from the cheese before consuming; others do not.
Appearance and taste Yaroslav Trofimov, writing in the August 23, 2000 edition of The Wall Street Journal, describes the cheese as "a viscous, pungent goo that burns the tongue and can affect other parts of the body". Susan Herrmann Loomis reports an encounter (in a 2002 Bon Appétit article):
He … grabbed a piece of pane carasau, the traditional flatbread of Sardinia, rinsed it quickly under water to soften it and went to a large glass jar on a side table. He opened the jar, scooped out a mound of what looked like thick cream, and folded the bread around it. …When he was finished I asked what he had eaten, and he got up to show me. Inside the jar was pecorino, busy with small, white worms. I'd heard about this cheese, but this was the first time I'd gotten so close. … A friend of his … said, 'It's formaggio marcio [literally, "rotten cheese"], cheese with worms. It's a delicacy. It's the most beautiful gift you can give a Sardinian shepherd.'
The cheese is typically consumed with Sardinian bread (pane carasau) and Cannonau, a strong red wine.
Add some good ole Italian bread and ya got yourself a meal. Mangia!!! Best meal in the world. :)
EverClear works pretty good, too.
yitbos
This is a little “hard” to believe.
So you gotta eat the salami to hide the salami?
LMAO!
Nice!
A quarter of Italian women said salami was their favourite aphrodisiac
Boy if I made the comment that I first wanted to, I’d get banned.
I wonder how many "delicacies" started out as necessities, i.e "this cheese is rotten but I have to eat it because it's all I have"?
Many, especially everything that has fermented!
Lol!
No kidding? And I always thought you were supposed to eat it!
No kidding? And I always thought you were supposed to eat it!
A quarter of Italian women said salami was their favourite aphrodisiac.
Italy has one of the lowest birth rate in Europe; maybe italian women are using the wrong type of salami...
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