A Romantic Valentine's Day at Sub Rosa

The word "aphrodisiac" comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. According to the myth, she was born in a shell from the sea. We think this is why the oyster has always been the ultimate aphrodisiac food. So you love oysters, but what about the wine?

Oysters are both salty and briny with an oily mouth-coating texture that can smoother most wines. However, a sparkling wine can both refresh and cleanse your palate with ease. We hope you get jiggy with some oysters and sparkling before the month is out.

Below you will find a list of some historially sensual foods according to the Wine Market Council and a link to Sub Rosa's His and Her Valentines dinner.

OYSTERS - Perhaps the most famous love food of all, oysters were documented as an aphrodisiac food by the Romans in the second century A.D. Aphrodisiac lore also holds that legendary lover Casanova ate fifty raw oysters every morning with his lady du jour. In reality, oysters are high in protein and loaded with zinc, which is known to increase the sexual health of both men and women. Besides that, they just look sexy in an earthy organic sort of way.

ASPARAGUS - Many foods owe their aphrodisiac status to the ancient Doctrine of Signatures and the Law of Similarities. For example, asparagus is thought to give a boost to your love life because of its phallic shape. The fact that it's packed with potassium, phosphorous, calcium and vitamin E doesn't hurt either - and offers extra energy to the love-hungry.

AVOCADOS - Aside from the creamy, sensual nature of the flesh of an avocado, once again, the Doctrine of Signatures is primarily responsible for avocados making the aphrodisiac list. Believed to resemble parts of both the male and female anatomy, in the Aztec culture, avocados were considered so powerful that village maidens were forbidden to set foot outside while the fruit was being gathered.

CHILES - Long believed to house a complete arsenal of aphrodisiac powers, eating chile peppers gets the blood rushing, the heart pumping, the face flushing and the pores sweating - all reactions strangely familiar to what one can experience from even just a good night kiss. Then there is the euphemism for the male phallus - as a chili. No subtleties there.

HONEY - Known as an aphrodisiac extraordinnaire as far back as the 5th century B.C., even Hippocrates prescribed honey for sexual vigor. Wedding traditions in some cultures include the offering of honey to a bridegroom and even the term "honeymoon" stems from an ancient tradition of couples going into seclusion and drinking a honey concoction until the first new moon of their marriage.

CHOCOLATE - Owing its aphrodisiac beginnings to the Aztecs and the Mayans, chocolate was considered "nourishment of the Gods" and the Aztec ruler, Montezuma, reportedly drank fifty cups of chocolate each day to better serve his harem of 600 women. Also a regular part of Casanova's diet of love foods, today we know that chocolate also contains PEA (phenylethylamine), the same naturally occurring amphetamine that rushes through the veins of someone experiencing the situation known as love.

Check out our His and Her's Valentine's Dinner