The search for sexy foods has been an ancient pursuit. Throughout the ages, certain foods have been described as the foods of love – they raise body temperature and provide instant energy or they have arousing aromas, suggestive shapes or a sensual mouth-feel, according to Eat Something Sexy.

But measured under the scrutiny of modern science, we learn that in addition to an ability to caress the tongue or lower inhibition, most of these foods are excellent sources of energy vital maintaining sexual hormone levels and/or sparking neurotransmitters that trigger feelings of love or sexual arousal, says Eat Something Sexy’s Amy Reiley.

Aphrodisiacs, foods that put you in the mood for love, are named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. According to the Cambridge World History of Food, aphrodisiacs were first sought out as a remedy for various sexual anxieties including fears of inadequate performance as well as a need to increase fertility. Procreation was an important moral and religious issue and aphrodisiacs were sought to insure both male and female potency.

The ancient list included aniseed, basil, carrot, gladiolus root, orchid bulbs, pistachio nuts, rocket, sage, sea fennel, turnips, skink flesh (a type of lizard) and river snails. History also shows that just as much fuss was made about anaphrodisiacs – foods that decrease potency – and many lovers steered clear of dill, lentil, lettuce, watercress and water lily.

Oysters are one of the best known aphrodisiacs. They are high in iron and zinc (so too is caviar, lobster and prawns) and a low sexual drive is one of the symptoms of zinc deficiency. The story goes that that famed lover Casanova ate 50 raw oysters every morning to give him the stamina he needed.

Chocolate’s reputation as an aphrodisiac is deeply embedded in the history of Western civilisation where Mayan and Aztec cultures believed it to have mystical qualities and referred to it as nourishment of the Gods. Scientists have studied this candy, and found that chocolate releases serotonin and phenylethylamine, chemicals which make people feel blissful.

In Egyptian times, honey was used to many medicines used for cure sterility and impotence. Medieval seducers plied their partners with mead, a fermented drink made from sticky, viscous, deliciously swett honey. Lovers on their “honeymoon” drank mead and it was thought to “sweeten” the marriage.

Another aphrodisiac is the avocado. To the Aztecs, the avocado tree was called “ahuacuati” meaning “testicle tree,” as a pair hanging from it resembles a man’s testicles. Australian aboriginals used apricots, its original name being ‘apricock’, as an aphrodisiac. The apricot’s pit, or kernel, was steeped as a tea and the flesh of the fruit was crushed and rubbed on the suitor’s erogenous zones as a pre-coital perfume.

Given its phallic shape, it is no wonder that asparagus, bananas, celery, carrots and cucumbers are frequently enjoyed as aphrodisiacs. But the secret is in more than its shape. These fruit and vegetables are packed with vitamins and nutrients needed for healthy hormone production.

Food doesn’t just have to be eaten to be effective. Studies have shown that just the smell of certain foods can turn on men and women. Men appeared to be turned on most by a combination of smelling lavender and doughnuts and women were aroused by liquorice and cucumbers!

Photograph - Hannah Davis

The Chocolate Studio, which is situated at the Cape Quarter, de Waterkant, Cape Town, is endorsed by Lindt’s Master Swiss Chocolatiers. All creations at the studio are made with the Lindt chocolate ranges. On offer are 10 different workshops ranging from Decadent Lindt Desserts, Truffle Making and Chocolate Décor and Showpiece Making.

For more information please visit www.chocolatestudio.co.za

Photography by Jacques Botha

The estate is one of the most widely visited in Stellenbosch and annually attracts growing numbers of tourists, both domestic and international.

The expanded facilities can accommodate small and large groups with more sit-down areas, a longer and wider tasting counter and private rooms. The very contemporary layout includes a timeline of the estate’s rich and colourful history. Displayed in the foyer of the tasting facility, it includes a copy of the original permit issued to German immigrant, Willem Barendt Lubbe, to hunt and to graze his livestock on 230 morgen (197 ha) near Stellenbosch, on October 2, 1692 and covers highlights in the history of the award-winning estate over the centuries. The ante-room exhibit also focuses on the biodiversity of the farm, with samples of the various soil types found on the property.

Modern and comfortable furniture, light fittings made from recycled plastic, and lime-green accessories worn by the wine tasting and sales assistants have given the tasting area a lighter, more spacious and a friendlier feel, says Neethlingshof’s public relations manager Lucille Jacobs.

An innovative wine and food pairing concept, entitled Slow Wine and Flash Food, has also been introduced where six wines from both the mainstream and reserve ranges are paired with six fast-food dishes, such as a flame-grilled beef burger with camembert and chocolate shavings that goes with the Short Story Collection Owl Post Pinotage. The cost per person is R85 and is available exclusively in the wine tasting centre.

Photography by Jacques Botha

Also on offer in the wine tasting centre are a standard tasting of six wines at a cost of R30 per person, cellar tours at R10 per person (to be booked in advance) and an executive tasting of six wines followed by coffee and truffles, for a maximum of 12 guests in the private cellar, at R60 per person.

Neethlingshof’s recently launched reserve tier, named The Short Story Collection, takes centre stage in the wine tasting area. Each of the three limited-edition wines focuses on a specific aspect of the estate’s philosophy or history. They are a Bordeaux blend, named after the caracal that has returned to the farm since conservation steps were taken to rehabilitate part of the land to indigenous habitat and the Owl Post, a single-vineyard Pinotage, highlighting the owl posts placed strategically throughout the vineyards as part of an integrated pest management programme.

Photography by Jacques Botha

The third in the range, a Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest that is called The Maria, honours Maria Magdalena Marais, the resourceful and feisty young widow who took over the building of Neethlingshof’s manor house after the death of her husband, Charles, in 1813. The home was completed the following year and is now a national monument. To draw attention to the estate’s rich and varied narratives, the three wines are displayed together with a description of the tale behind each and an accompanying drawing.

South African land artist Strijdom van der Merwe is currently exhibiting “trees in pots” in the avenue of stone pines that herald the entrance to the historic estate. The non-permanent and recyclable installations of “pots” are mere frames and the trees are still visible in all their natural glory.

Photography by Jacques Botha

For more information, please visit our website: www.neethlingshof.co.za

It is believed that the beef can only be grown in Japan because of the specialised climate, that the cows are massaged in sake by attractive milk maids, that they drink beer during the summer and there are even rumours that the Japanese mafia controls the entire Kobe beef market – “but how much of it is actually true?” asks food writer, Grant Y.

Surprisingly more than you think and not for the reasons we’ve been led to believe. But let’s start with the basics first.

Kobe beef comes only from a Japanese black-haired breed called Wagyu cattle (wa means Japanese and gyu means cattle). The name Kobe is derived from Kobe, the capital city of the Hyogo region in Japan. It is in this region where the specific breed of Wagyu cattle, called Tajima, have been raised and selectively bred for over 2 000 years. Ironically, explains Grant, Wagyu cattle are not native to Japan and Japanese culture did not start including beef until about a century ago.

Though the term Kobe beef and Wagyu beef are often used interchangeably, it surprises most to learn that true Kobe beef isn’t actually exported out of Japan, he adds. “While there are four various types of Wagyu cattle, the Japanese government strictly regulates the term “Kobe beef” to Wagyu beef born and slaughtered from the Hyogo area. Unfortunately, the term is often misused, leading to much confusion among consumers between true Kobe beef and Wagyu beef.”

Recent decades have seen the development of select breeding programmes in countries with more pastures available for grazing. These countries include Australia, Canada, Great Britain and the United States and, apart from the greater availability of land, it is less expensive than in Japan. What distinguishes Kobe beef is the meat’s extensive marbling, tenderness and taste. The meat is extensively well marbled with fat and is graded according to content – the more there is, the higher the grade.

The cows are massaged to relieve stress and muscle stiffness, as it is believed that the eating quality of the meat is affected positively by keeping the cattle calm and content. The same goes with the cow’s outer appearance – some Japanese producers believe the hair coat and softness of the skin are related to meat quality and will brush the cow with sake. Beer seems to stimulate the cows’ appetite so it is fed to them when the summer’s heat and humidity makes them less hungry.

To get an idea of the richness, Grant points out that Kobe beef fat will actually begin dissolving at 25 degrees Celsius, which means the meat will literally melt in your mouth. This is why most preparation styles call for a quick sear, he adds. “In fact, if prepared as steak, Kobe beef cannot be cooked more than medium rare, as it would otherwise liquefy.”

The Butcher Shop & Grill’s founder and proprietor Alan Pick serves his Kobe beef rumps with a Lipitor, explains wine writer, Neil Pendock after recently sampling the world’s most expensive beef. “The marbling in these cuts from a four year old Wagyu is a six – it can go up to nine and then you get two free Lipitor”, says Pick. He sells his Wagyu steaks imported from Australia for R600 a kilo across the counter.

The Wagyu breed is genetically predisposed to intense marbling and produces a higher percentage of oleaginous, unsaturated fat than any other breed of cattle, which makes it the ‘healthier’ option when it comes to meat, according to an Afgriland research article on Kobe beef.

“Whether healthier or not, the sheer price of a piece of Kobe beef might be enough to send you straight to the nearest greasy take-away café. In some spots, this luxurious piece of meat will cost you almost R1 500/kg – not quite your average meal, but those who know, claim that it is worth every cent.”

The French have always had an affinity for organ meat, from kidney to pancreas, all cleverly cloaked in their romantic language. Cervelles au beurre noir sounds so much more appealing than calf’s brains in browned butter, n’est ce pas? So it is with foie gras, which is far from offal, says Kim Honey in Foie gras: a decadent treat. “Though it may be considered entrails in the traditional sense, this is not just any old organ”, she says.

Literally meaning ‘fat liver’, foie gras is the process where geese are force-fed with corn mash, known as ‘gavage’, several times a day in order to expand their livers to three or four times their normal size. The liver is characterised by two lobes, putty beige in colour, and slightly firm to the touch.

Historical records show that foie gras is as old as the Pharaohs of Egypt and the Romans. In Europe, besides the Romans, Jewish communities also played a major role in the history of the delicacy because they used goose fat instead of pork fat for cooking. Anger over the moral aspect of force-feeding has grown in the past few years into an international campaign by animal rights activists and pressure is mounting on chefs who continue to import and use the product.

Protesters and animal activist groups across the globe have been successful in bullying restaurants into removing foie gras from their menus, but there are still chefs working on pioneering culinary creations and intricately concocted pairings. And in countries where there are the most protests, the chefs are creating the most outrageous offerings.

Humphry Slocombe, an ice cream shop in San Francisco, is now serving a foie gras ice cream sandwich made with gingerbread snaps, while New York City chefs Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot have been working on a foie gras and caramelised white chocolate dish. They have paired shards of foie gras with white chocolate and a mango pickle fruit leather, rose water poached plantains, mango-buttermilk puree and elderflower infused cilantro stems.

Chef José Andrés hosts The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in Beverley Hills where waiters roll around carts featuring liquid nitrogen cocktails that smoke like a science experiment and candy floss machines used to wrap the sugary pouf around foie gras on a stick. In the UK, Heston Blumenthal of the Fat Duck roasts the delicacy and serves it with gooseberry, braised kombu (Japanese seaweed) and crab biscuit, while El Bulli’s Ferran Adrià, turns foie gras in to frozen dust.

Closer to home, diners at Constantia Uitsig’s La Colombe can order pressed terrine of confit rabbit, chorizo and foie gras royale with fig jelly, served with port poached fig and a truffle and mascarpone mousse rolled in pistachio and shaved summer truffle. Chef Margot Janse of The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français serves it with cranberry and smoked whisky dressing. Foie gras news headlines aren’t just about campaigns to ban the foodstuff; even the culinary conduct of world leaders’ wives gets a mention when it comes to this French delicacy.

Earlier this year at the Nato summit in France, British Prime Minister’s wife, Sarah Brown, refused to eat the foie gras served at a banquet. But, The Times of London, pointed out that “foie gras was also served (and eaten) by Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Michelle Obama, indicating that Mrs Brown stands alone among world leaders’ wives in her opinions on animal welfare”.

It is her photograph that appears on the cover of Ithemba, the richly illustrated book that documents some of the leading examples of socio-economic transformation within the local wine industry since the advent of democracy 15 years ago. Produced by Wines of South Africa (WOSA) and funded largely by the Department of Trade and Industry, the book takes its name from the Nguni word for hope.

The purpose of Ithemba, says WOSA CEO Su Birch, is to highlight the black winemakers behind many of the country’s successful brands of whom Stevens is just one example, as well as to promote the country’s black-owned brands and to acknowledge the many initiatives of those in the industry who are promoting meaningful and sustainable change.

She concedes that transformation in terms of land ownership has been slow, given the high barriers to entry. The extremely high cost of land and capital, as well as the delay in achieving a return on investment, given that it takes at least four to five years before vines are able to produce fruit of the appropriate quality to make wines, have meant that transformation has tended to occur elsewhere along the value chain. Ithemba seeks to highlight change across many other levels in the industry, says Birch.

“There is much concrete evidence of successful transformation in the fact that we have black-owned brands listed in leading supermarkets in the UK and on American Airlines, while black winemakers run the cellars of some of our most famous wine brands.
“However, perhaps less overtly visible is the significant investment taking place in the transfer of skills in business, viticulture, farm management, winemaking and wine marketing, or in the manifold efforts to create the foundation for long-term sustainable development, by focusing on basic education, early learning and in community and social upliftment. Ithemba focuses on these facets of transformation.”

Ithemba explores the impact black economic empowerment has had on the lives of people like Stevens through the transfer of skills and knowledge over the past decade and a half. This strikingly attractive and vivacious mother of two young girls may not have moved far from her origins in physical distance but her position, her quality of life and her future tell a very different story that is a tangible expression of the change in South African society and its wine industry.

Superbly photographed by Anna Lusty, it captures the energy, dignity and passion of workers and their families, entrepreneurs, winemakers and sommeliers who work in the world of wine.
Says Birch: “We believe we have created a beautiful and very accessibly written book that explores the material ways in which transformation is shaping the lives of a new generation of South Africans, whose disenfranchised forebears would never have imagined that such opportunity and hope was possible.”

The industry, established 350 years ago with the help of slave labour, is dramatically different from the one operating before the dismantling of apartheid in 1994, when little was known about South African wine outside the country and less than 50 million litres found its way offshore every year. Today it employs over 257 000 people directly and indirectly, and exports worldwide over 400 million litres of wine worth R6,2bn, making it the biggest contributor to the country’s agricultural exports.

“We have made many meaningful structural and attitudinal changes in our industry to unleash the potential of enormously talented people,” says Birch. “By showing examples of individuals and projects that reflect empowerment initiatives of corporate and independent producers, the creation of black-owned enterprises that involve not only winemaking but some of the satellite business that supply to the wine industry, we hope readers will come closer to understanding us.”

The book also covers educational programmes that underpin transformation, as well as the community projects designed to promote a better quality of life for workers in the wine industry and their families.

“We acknowledge that transformation is a long and ongoing process and still has a far way to go but we are celebrating the huge difference it is already making.”