About The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2014)
12 AMPERSAND | FEB/MAR 2014 PHOTOS BY KRISTYN NUCCI FOOD STYLING BY KRISTYN NUCCI & GINA YU APHRODISIACS BY KYLIE WOODALL The relationship between food and sex throughout Instory has been complicated and often contradictory. At times religious, often symbolic, and occasionally laughable — everything from cherry pie (place the blame for this association on “80s glam-rocking Warrant) to corn flakes (an original “cure” for masturbatory urges) have entailed some sort of relation with sexual lore. While some foods such as oysters and chocolate have sustained a reputation for being powerful aphrodisiacs, there are quite a few seemingly ordinary and outwardly unsexual eats that have their own secrets up their sleeves. To get the dirt (and some recipes too), read up and learn about the secret life of lettuce, prunes, mint and garlic. LETTUCE Lettuce served as the symbol for the Ancient Egyptian god of fertility, Min, circa predynastic times. Believed to be a promoter of potency, love and childbearing in women, this leaf vegetable was said to help Min “perform the sexual act untiringly.” Lettuce of Ancient Egypt (commonly referred to as “White Bull”) was also notably tall, straight and releasing of a fluid, milk-like substance when rubbed correctly. Succinctly, it was the perfect fit for a phallic symbol. Circa the 1800s, the glorification of lettuce seriously wilted. Women in Britain chastised lettuce as a cause of infertility and sterility, lamenting it rather than honoring it on the dinner menu. With it’s sexual connotations aside, it’s now reserved for greasy hamburgers and cobb salads, cheaply tossed around at your nearest fast food joint. To amend for lettuce’s downfall and restore it to it’s original glory, try out this recipe for buttered lettuce with slivered almonds, grapes and poppy seed vinaigrette. BUTTERED LETTUCE SALAD WITH POPPYSEED VINAIGRETTE Start to Finish: 15 minutes Servings: 4 1 large romaine heart, split in half and torn 2 tablespoons salted butter 1/4 cups almonds, slivered and dry roasted 1/2 cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 1/2 cup seedless grapes 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds Salt and pepper In large saute pan over medium heat, melt butter. When butter is sizzling, add lettuce to pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, moving the lettuce around in the pan roughly every thirty seconds. Remove lettuce from pan and plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top lettuce with garbanzo beans, grapes and almonds. Whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey and poppy seeds, in a small bowl. Drizzle on salad. Salt and pepper to taste.
