Italy's favourite aphrodisiac? Salami

Could it be the phalic shape of sausage that turns them on?---BBB

Italy's favourite aphrodisiac? Salami
By Malcolm Moore in Rome
02/06/2007
Telegraph UK

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.

advertisementItalian 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.