NAVARRA GOURMET

Gastronomy and Pleasure. “The five senses, health and sex”

GASTRONOMY & HEALTH. Moderator Jordi Estadella

(Marcelo Tejedor. Restaurante Casa Marcelo. Santiago de Compostela. Raimundo García del Moral. Professor of Pathological Anatomy at the University of Granada.)

Gastronomy for increased libido

During the Navarre Gourmet - Enjoy Vegetables Congress, gastronomy was paired with a number of topics. However, the theme which attracted the most public attention was the one on gastronomy and sex. Both subjects have a point in common: they cause pleasure. Raimundo García del Moral, a professor of Pathological Anatomy at the University of Granada, debated this topic accompanied by Marcelo Tejedor, the chef at Casa Marcelo. On this matter, the expert declared that gastronomy and sex "are the only two instinctive pleasures in all the different species".

“There are no references to sex and gastronomy, because science is too puritan”, he explained. García del Moral discussed the five senses and criticised the fact that sight and hearing are the most dominant ones, whilst the other senses are underrated. "From a culinary point of view, we are witnessing a failure to combine the senses. We are set on separating the senses instead of uniting them", he criticised.

Briefly discussing the five senses, he affirmed that, despite the fact that "in some cultures touch is considered to be taboo outside the sexual couple, it should never be forgotten that a caress is worth more than a thousand words". With regard to the sense of smell - "the second pleasure in man after sex" - he highlighted the fact that it is highly sensitive and primitive, but also fragile and complex, as it very quickly reaches saturation level. According to this expert, "Concentrations are extremely enigmatic, the smell varies with the concentration level", he went on to explain that vanilla ice-cream, for example, contains a slight concentration of scatol, which is also present in excrements.

With regard to this sense of smell, he affirmed that it is highly related to sex due to the phenomena "caused when females are sexually aroused". García del Moral also discussed aphrodisiacs, differentiating between those stimulants which enhance desire (ambrein and bufotenine), promote sexual potency (sildenafil, Viagra, popper or panax ginseng) and sensitivity enhancers during intercourse (cantharides, yohimbine or play condom). These substances are present in many foods such as aniseed, basil, saffron, asparagus, oysters, chocolate ... "but need to be taken in considerable quantities". For this reason, he affirmed that "the best aphrodisiac is in our brain, in our imagination".

Culinary stimulants

On the subject of sight, which is "essential in sex", he made it clear that it is an essential sense in gastronomy thanks to the influence of landscape cuisine. With regard to touch, which is "indispensable in sex", he discussed the different culinary textures and the differences between crunchy and crispy foodstuffs. In this way, there are sexual stimulants such as spicy, hot and cold, bitterness or a metallic taste which can also be sought in gastronomy.

Marcelo Tejedor, the chef at Casa Marcelo, in Santiago de Compostela, , accompanied the talk with a special menu to suit the topic. "Alcohol is the greatest stimulant for ridding oneself of one's inhibitions. So, why not start with an alcoholic cocktail? he asked. The chef prepared a codium and vodka juice, decorated with seaweed, "a personal version of a Dry Martini".

This peculiar menu could not fail to include asparagus, the "phallic symbol par excellence", accompanied by trout eggs. Another more explicit dish was the "Wild rabbit and turnip" presented in a way which left little to the imagination. Erotic games were also on the menu, as was seen with the preparation of some Chinese balls.

To “show that size matters”, Marcelo Tejedor presented a dish with different varieties of bananas, much to the public's amusement. The "Ménagge à trois" comprising pears, melons and mangos was also highly imaginative. And his dessert "Water & chocolate", prepared with chocolate ice-lollies, was the final touch to this racy menu.

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