baserinstincts

Edible Sex- Sex and the Shellfish

So do oysters really make you horny?

My first experience with this deep sea gem wasn’t a particularly pleasant one.

It was years ago and perhaps my palate was a little underdeveloped at the time. Or maybe they just weren’t that fresh. But I didn’t like them. They tasted like seawater.

Last year, after a friend and co-worker raved about them (and also touted their purported aphrodisiac abilities) I decided to give them another try. I’m a huge fan of shellfish, and not because of any libido enhancing effects (lack of libido has never been my problem anyway) but because I just love shellfish. I didn’t want to leave the oysters out unless I absolutely had to.

I took a trip to the farmers market and lo and behold, fresh oysters were being sold. I bought about a dozen of them, took them home and put them in the freezer. I then purchased an oyster knife and a lemon.

The next day, I took a half dozen of my oysters out of the freezer and let them sit for a little bit. Then I got out my oyster knife and began shucking (nearly killing myself in the process). Oysters successfully shucked, I arranged them on a plate, squeezed some lemon on them, topped it all off with a dash of hot sauce, took a deep breath and dove in.

They were delicious. Absolutely delicious. The next day, I fried up the other half and decided that I like them much better raw.

Can’t remember if I ended up feeling noticeably more “amorous” afterward.

The notion of oysters as aphrodisiacs became popularized by Roman satirist Juvenal in the second century after describing the wanton ways of women after they’d feasted on wine and oysters.

Why oysters?

Well, take another look.

The “law of similarity” states that any food resembling a particular body part is somehow good for that body part. However flawed that logic may or may not be, it’s easy to see the resemblance these babies bear to the female sex organ.

Oysters are actually quite nutritious but the fact that they contain high levels of zinc in particular also contributes to it’s reputation. Zinc controls progesterone levels which have a positive effect on the libido. They also contain omega 3 fats which also have positive effects on libido and mood.

While it isn’t scientifically proven that oysters contribute to good sexual health, they sure are fun to eat and maybe the expectation creates some kind of placebo response.

Take Casanova for instance.

The notorious 18th century rake ate up to sixty oysters a day. According to his memoirs, he seduced over one hundred women.

His favorite way to eat an oyster? He tells us in Volume Six:

“I placed the shell on the edge of her lips and after a good deal of laughing, she sucked in the oyster, which she held between her lips. I instantly recovered it by placing my lips on hers.”

Gotta try that one.