Spicy Sultana Speaks: Lazy Summer Afternoon Baking...YUM.

Spicy Sultana Speaks: Lazy Summer Afternoon Baking...YUM.: "It has been a rough week. And I was indignant that the last weekend of August here in Chicago, turned to be one hot one. 90+ degrees and hu..."

Lazy Summer Afternoon Baking...YUM.

It has been a rough week. And I was indignant that the last weekend of August here in Chicago, turned to be one hot one. 90+ degrees and humid - now what an introduction to Fall is that? Grr.

Anyway, I figured if it was hot as hell outside, I would be better off making use of some heat indoors under the watchful hum of my air conditioner. A big AH-HA moment, came when I espied the large zucchini my husband and I had harvested yesterday from our little garden sitting on the kitchen counter.

Zucchini Bread. No wait - how about a Spicy Zucchini Bread - with some of those delicious, spices from my favorite spice supplier, eSutras Organics

Nett result?
DELISH. MOIST YUMMY BREAD !

Here is how you can make this beauty.

Zucchini Bread Spiced
Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons Garam Masala (eSutras Organics)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• ¼ tsp Clove ground (eSutras Organics)
• ¼ tsp Fennel ground (eSutras Organics)
• ¼ tsp Black peppercorns coarse ground (eSutras Organics)
• ¼ tsp Nutmeg ground (eSutras Organics)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons grated ginger
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon chopped dry dates

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and all dry spices, except black pepper together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. If you feel energetic, knead with your hands. It always makes for a better bread.
4. Stir in zucchini dates and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
5. Sprinkle coarsely ground pepper and sesame seeds on the top of the batter.
6. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes.
8. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool. Enjoy.

Are these the end times? Prophecies from the past...

Kali Yuga - or the end times of the universe as we know it... Is this it?

I have always been fascinated by the mystical. The ethereal. The seventh dimension. Whatever you call it, the twinge that is our consciousness aflame. Many are the times when dreaming lucidly, I have been at the threshold of time itself it seemed.

Today my husband and I, were discussing, talking about ancient scriptures. Partly triggered by the documentary - Sir Isac Newton, the heretic. Yes I said heretic. It was astonishing to learn that his prophesies on the end times (arrived at by his meticulous calculations of biblical dates) were seen as heresy in 1770 England.

To me, being from India I could not agree more. When I told my husband that a lot of what we watched in the documentary had parallels in the 'Puranas' (ancient scriptures of India), about what will be symptomatic about Kali Yuga (end times)laid out in great detail, that it used to frighten children into obedience... he laughed quietly.

That laughter, thundered to me till I decided to look up online on how the West interpreted the Hindu or ancient Indian visualization of Kali Yuga.

Wikipedia - had a nice rendering that is astonishingly close to what I heard from my stern grandmother.

Here it is, cut and pasted for you, my dear reader's perusal. Comment away!

Attributes of Kali Yuga

In relation to rulers
Rulers will become unreasonable: they will levy taxes unfairly.
Rulers will no longer see it as their duty to promote spirituality, or to protect their subjects: they will become a danger to the world.

In relation to the general populace and relations with the rulers:
People will start migrating, seeking countries where wheat and barley form the staple food source. But then, they will also love their subjects so much that they will sacrifice their lives for them. This is what kaliyuga says.

In human relationships
Avarice and wrath will be common. Humans will openly display animosity towards each other.
Ignorance of dharma (righteousness) will occur.
People will have thoughts of murder for no justification and they will see nothing wrong with that mind-set.
Lust will be viewed as socially acceptable, and sexual intercourse will be seen as the central requirement of life.
Sin will increase exponentially, whilst virtue will fade and cease to flourish.
People will take vows only to break them soon after.
People will become addicted to intoxicating drinks and drugs.
Men will find their jobs stressful and will go to retreats to escape their work.
Gurus (teachers or guides) will no longer be respected and their students will attempt to injure them. Their teachings will be insulted and followers of Kama (lust) will wrest control of the mind from all human beings.

Brahmins (the learned teachers ) will not be learned and honoured, Kshatriyas (valiant warriors ) will not be brave, Vaishyas (the traders and businessmen )will not be just in dealings and shudras (the workers )will not be honest and humble or do their duties.....

Wow.. I say. Comment will you ?

A gentle nudge to dispatch the errors of Tom Dispatch

This one is a bit long, like all things passionate and of thereof, one has to speak ones heart out... Please bear with me. Perhaps you should get a cup of delicious eSutras Tea or cocktail kit before you read this ?

It is a response to Tom Dispatch and his article 'extremeism at ground zero'. *

Well Tom - allow me to express by way of real life narration, why it is far better that any form of extremism be tackled and spoken about primarily by conscious individuals from within the ranks of the extremists rather than a beration of why's and if's of the situation by over zealous by standers from the lots of the vicitims.

Ground zero exists and so does terrorism religious or otherwise.

I have observed over the years the changes in Islam in Kerala, a small peace loving state in the Southern realm of India, Keeper of the World's Soul.

When I was a child, and visited my grandmother’s home in Kerala, we had many Muslim friends. The Muslims I knew were relatively non-observant; the men sported no beards or skullcaps, the women wore saris and they merely drew the pallu (the part of the sari that is thrown over the shoulder) coyly and demurely over their heads, much like their Hindu counterparts in the North of India.

Today, in Kerala there are large numbers of bearded men with skullcaps and women in all-enveloping black burqas. Astonishingly, in the length and breadth of Kerala, I have seen billboards advertising 'burqa fashions.'

I have also watched the growth of mosques in Kerala. In one stretch of the national highway between Kollam and Trivandrum, there are five huge mosques and several smaller mosques within the space of just one mile, and all but one have come up in the recent past, maybe ten years. You see scores of young boys with skullcaps and scores of little girls with headscarves going to the local “madrassa”, or religious school, I imagine.

I also stood by and wondered where were the Hindu, the Christian, the Jewish, the Atheistic and the Buddhist children were. After all, my Kerala always was and is the epitome of the great Indian melting pot. Equally welcoming and equally skeptical. My Kerala was never occupied by the British, choosing rather to dip into their rich money box an pay “kappam” or tribute money to the greedy westerners. My Kerala was the first state in my beloved India to become 100 % literate, building more schools in the first year of independence than the English had built in 150 years of colonial imposition.

My Kerala was indeed God’s own land, where the very air permeated with compassion and intelligence, then why impose these giant unruly mosques on her bosom to try and capture Him? Even worse, why are some of her innocent young minds regimented, military style with scarf , skullcap and strict dogma to seek Him inside these mausoleums ? - I asked myself.

Much has happened in Kerala to bring these changes about. I paraphrase from my friend Rajiv Sreenivasan. One is that the fragmented politics of Kerala has enabled smallish groups to wield disproportionate influence. As an example, various governments in Kerala, dependent on the support of the Muslim League, (a political party that has gained power through numbers over the years ) have allocated tracts of public land to it: startlingly, right in the middle of the famous Kovalam beach, of Beatle days there is now a large mosque on what was public property in democratic India.

Sigh.

Furthermore, enormous amounts of Saudi and other Muslim fundamentalist money have apparently come into Kerala in the recent times. I am not talking about the monies wired back by hapless workers toil in the desert sun. I am talking about money sent in the name of God, the one God as seen by the benevolent monarchs of desert kingdoms, afar. A friend tells of a banker he knows told him of multi millions of rupees in transfers for instance to the Guruvayoor area (which, despite housing the most famous and ancient Krishna temple, of Kerala is heavily Muslim)just so to ensure no Hindu moves in.

He told me that nationalized banks in India are willing to provide Islamic banking to large customers: that is, they happily pay them no interest according to Islamic law, and are therefore quite content to ask no inconvenient questions.

These inward flows have resulted in all these real-estate acquisitions and the radicalization of Kerala's Muslims. They otherwise have no particular reason to feel discriminated against or oppressed, for they have had more than their fair share of jobs, opportunities and other entitlements. Kerala's Muslims certainly live better than Muslims in Pakistan, and they have done well for themselves. There are plenty of well-educated and well-employed Muslim doctors, engineers, IAS officers, lawyers, writers, teachers, etc. And yet every so often you hear about inhuman violence triggered by Muslim fundamentalists in Kerala.

If these educated and privileged Muslims turn so violently against their Hindu neighbors, there is no hope for Hindu-Muslim amity anywhere else in India. The two-nation theory has won, and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan was right.

For Kerala has always treated Muslims well, and it is indeed God's own country for them. From pre-Islamic times, Arabs came to Kerala to trade, their dhows following the monsoon winds across the Arabian Sea. Islam first came to India -- and that too, peacefully -- to Kerala, where the first mosque in India, the Cheraman mosque, apparently built in the 7th or 8th century CE, stands at the great old port of Kodungalloor (the Roman Muziris).

Muslims came as sailors, married local women and stayed on: the very word 'Moplah' (the common word for Muslims in Kerala) means 'son-in-law.' The Zamorin , the Hindu King of Calicut had Muslims in his navy, including the famous commander Kunjali Marikkar, of Omani and Kerala parentage. But most Muslims in Kerala have no Arab blood, and they are the descendents of Hindus forcibly converted by an overly zealous Muslim army during Tipu Sultan's invasion of Malabar.

This famous freedom-fighter of India , often called the Tiger was if not himself a fearsome jihadi, did harbor many of them in his army. Innumerable are the family histories of fleeing Christians and Hindus from Malabar to the princely state of Cochin to avoid him. Even today 'Tipu's padayottam' (military foot march) is remembered in the racial memory of Kerala Hindus and Syrian Christians as a catastrophe spoken of in hushed tones. Tipu Sultan has been praised by several historians for his religious tolerance and respect for other faiths and cultures. Whether the atrocities inflicted on Kerala had Tipu’s sanction or were committed by bloodthirsty soldiers looking for plunder is for historians to judge… however the fact remains that at his departure, a decade later Northern Kerala had more Muslims than in 600 years of trading with Arabs, who by the way took pains to transfer wealth of knowledge of the sciences and the arts to Europe during the dark ages of that continent.

Yet, relations have generally been good between Hindus and Muslims in Kerala. It was not uncommon on pilgrimages in Kerala, to meet Muslims who was making the pilgrimage with their Hindu friends and vice versa.

With all this, a Maraad happens in 2003. Totally out of the blue. Maraad was an atrocity of unimaginable violence against defenseless men, on the sandy beaches of Kerala,right in front of a Hindu temple. The reported facts about the incident in Maraad, Kozhikode, Kerala, are as follows.
• A group of Hindu fishermen sitting on the beach near a temple is attacked suddenly, without provocation or warning, by a mob of Muslims armed with swords. After a chaotic ten minutes, nine people are dead or bleeding to death on the beach. Many are seriously wounded. The attackers vanish into the night.

• A cache of swords and other sharp weapons, including blood-stained ones, as well as powerful country bombs is recovered from a mosque in the vicinity.

• Various politicians make soothing noises, 66 persons have been arrested in connection with the crime. A judicial inquiry has been instituted.

• The dead are: Gopalan, Chandran, Santosh, Madhavan, Asghar, Dasan, Pushparaj, Krishnan, and Prajeesh. One of them had been married for just five days. All Hindus.

The only plausible reason for Muslim violence is sheer religious bigotry, an unreasoning jihad. It is difficult to deal with this through reason.

My friend and reporter, Rajeev Sreenivasan wondered then in 2003 what the world's reaction would have been if the situation were reversed and a Hindu mob had killed nine Muslims in front of a mosque. Surely iconic reporters of Indian politics Kuldip Nayar and Praful Bidwai , would not have been thunderously silent: they would have badgered the National Human Rights Commission.

The Washington Post and The New York Times, not to mention The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Indian Express and the Hindu, would have indulged in en masse head beating about the end of civilization in India….

Well it is August 2010 and the Popular Front of India (PFI), a small Islamic fundamentalist group has apparently carried out violent attacks on those it regards as enemies of Islam. Police and government authorities in Kerala charge that PFI activists recently chopped off the hand of a Christian college lecturer T.J Joseph as “punishment” for his reputed derogatory remarks about the “Prophet Mohammed.”

PFI and its allies are plotting to make Kerala a “Muslim-dominated” state within 20 years. “For achieving that goal, the outfit,” said Achuthanandan, the socialist leader of Kerala, “ PFI is pumping money to attract youth and providing them weapons. “Youngsters are being given money and lured to convert—to marry Muslim women and then give birth to Muslim children so that they can multiply.”
Now why would that be the case in my Kerala I wondered? Surely a 100% literate state can do better ?

My good friend –there is more than plain sight, my conscious whispered. It is not about literacy, it is not about the individual, but about the inducement of hatred using systematic propaganda, religious or otherwise. Much like the mind sets of “moplah” soldiers who overnight deserted their king and countrymen of 3 generations, to take the side of the Muslim invader Tipu Sultan, aiding and abetting in the murder and pillage of their Hindu and Christian kinsman of 1781 Kerala, most modern day Muslims still in private, even while saying nothing in public that faithfulness to Allah and religion triumph flag and country.

This trace of deeply harbored religious fervor is that which can so easily be inculcated by the propaganda of terror mongers.

With terrorism, being both lucrative and exciting and I say this all inclusively, it is easy to see growing environments, of radicalization and mind-games, that quickly create cadres of evil-doers amidst even the most benign of peoples in any society. Let us not forget that peaceful Cambodia came up with Khymer Rouge, that vivacious Spain have the Basques and the seething Tamils of Sri Lanka…have all shown that they are capable of unimaginable cruelty against their fellow man.

Any amount of 'talks' and 'goodwill gestures' and 'walking the extra mile' is unlikely to change the situation unless the hate-mongering institutions with a fundamentalist agenda are dismantled, be they Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Spanish, English or Arabic.

So long as the US cannot get her allies, her friends and her enemies to do this, there will be an endless supply of cannon fodder.

* Read Tom's article here: Read here :

Iran Stoning Case UPDATE: Ashtiani "Confesses" on State Television

All right - there is the update on the latest 'Stoning Case' in Iran. The Iranian government in all their nobility have decided that they will NOT stone Ashtiani to death, but hang her.

Read about it here: Iranian Stoning Case Update

Okay now do not forget to go to the comments section. This is where you will find a plethora of comments from viewers, many of who unconsciously speak.

Why do I say so ? Because I dont understand why people are bringing up Christianity or other religions and the persecutions of eons ago. We are in the BRAVE NEW times, people, where we live in the 21 st century and have come a long way from the dark ages.

When you live in civilized democracies, with human rights and freedom, perhaps it is easy to forget the many billions who do not have that luxury. Trying to justify or explain away brutality, intolerance and injustice by using religious references from the past is not only ridiculous but a disservice to the billions who live imprisioned in countries governed by idiological dogma.

You hamper the progress of compassion, religious freedom and the spirit of democracy not only in your countries, but you seriously inhibit it in Islamic nations. Please understand the difference between trying to underestimate a problem and trying to justify the cause for it happening is a thin line. Walk that thin line very cautiously for you may very well fester a problem by justifying its occurance.

And that my dear friends,in my opinion is neither compassionate nor democractic.

Smoked Salsa Dip

Okay last weekend our company, eSutras Organics was invited to exhibit at the best section of the very best street festival in Chicago. Chili Cook Out at Retro on Roscoe. We had to enter the salsa competition.

Problem was I had never made a decent salsa yet...
Anyway, we managed to get a salsa, a dip and a barbecue all in one hot pot - SMOKEY SALSA DIP that was out of this world... and GONE in 1 hour flat.

Best thing - i tried it today and it is yummy. It will be a sin not to share my recipe. So all the people who wanted the recipe, and all of ya who are passionate about cooking here it is:

Ingredients: Check out the organic spices at eSutras Organics.

4 Roma tomatoes 2 large regular tomato – cut the roma’s in halves.
1 Medium white onion chopped in 4
1 medium red onion chopped in 4
3 Jalapeno or serrano chiles (add more or reduce quantity to taste) cut in half
1 large bell pepper green chopped length wise
1 large long pepper chopped length wise
3 - 4 Garlic cloves
1/6 tsp of chilli powder
1/6 tsp of cumin powder.
1/4 Cup loosely packed mint leaves
¼ cup of olive oil
2 limes (juice from them should be ¼ cup at least. Use more limes if you need.)
Salt and coarse grind black pepper to taste.

How to make:

Slow char the tomatoes over a gas grill or under the flame of a hot broiler for a few minutes, turning them until the peel blisters. Ensure you roast the sliced tomatoes with the open surface facing up wards so you can sprinkle them with salt while roasting (brings out the flavor) and a delicate smoky flavor.

Full tomatoes need to be roasted slowly turning them on the grill till you get an even char around them.

Slip off the peel, and the flesh will still be firm. Remove the green stem core and cut the tomatoes in half vertically. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds.
Slow roast till you lightly char the onion, garlic and chiles, bell pepper (except lime and mint) till you get a light char on the surface – on a low open flame or easier in a hot wok or skillet.

Put all the tomatoes in a food processor including the cumin and chilli powder. Add two tablespoons of olive oil which gives the salsa a richer flavor. Add salt to taste. Blend or coarsely grind for a couple of minutes. Do not over blend – tomato mixture should be coarse at this stage. You want to see bits of all the vegetables through out the salsa.

In the food processor, turn the motor on chop. Drop in the charred bell pepper, garlic, mint, onions and jalapeños into the bowl. Turn food processor to chop first and then blend for a few brief pulses to reach the desired texture, somewhere between a chow-chow relish and a textured puree.

Turn off the motor and scrape down the sides of the bowl using a rubber spatula.
Add all of it to the tomato blend, put all ingredients in large pot - bring to rolling boil (add juice from chopped tomato if you have it) - turn down heat - Cook 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Turn off the heat. Add olive oil and lime juice, carefully blending with a ladle. Put in sterile jars and seal. This makes 8 cups of salsa.

Or if you like it hot, pour into a serving bowl and serve with chips, veggies and bread.
Yum.

My first firing - painful...

When I got this morning I did not think that I'm actually going to have to terminate someone. And by the end of the day I had to. I hated everything about the process. I tried. I tried really hard to retain the familiar face around. But had to let go, when other familiar faces spoke up. I’m not sure I did it well when I did it, but I’ve thought a lot about for the past few hours and now somehow, i have called my peace.

Having a business sometimes, puts you, in direct charge like God Itself - it seems in some ways...with the people who work for you. I realized a long time ago, when you pay faithfully, you expect work- faithfully. In a way you control people's addiction to food, clothing and shelter, and if you care about people at all you're reluctant to cut those things off.

And I also told myself, what I learnt many eons ago, that if you've genuinely worked with them to be sure they understand what they need to improve, and they haven't, then you owe it to them, to your company, and to yourself to end the relationship.

Now, this is more of a personal question than a practical one. Even though they have failed time and again to perform; I STILL feel bad about firing employees and want to find a way to not make it happen. It bothers me even though it was done after many, many rounds of performance improvement plans, corralling ideas, listening to suggestions and providing opportunity – I had to let a nice person go.

Why is it that good people turn to be bad employees, so much so that even their team mates want them out? Is that just me being highly sensitive lass? Or is this inherent to the all the folks in the management gigs that run shops around the world..?

Well there it is.. Spicy Sultana has asked a question…perhaps somebody will answer someday. I guess I will go to bed tonight thinking I did the right thing and everyone in will be better for it. Sweet dreams beckon. And the world economy sucks.

Dumb as a box of Rocks

A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE KIND OF REPRESENTATION WE HAVE IN CONGRESS,

TRUE STORY:( well maybe... i dont this for a fact, but know enough that politicians are for the most part dumber than the proverbial box of rocks.. so here it is)...

A noted psychiatrist was a guest speaker at an academic function where Nancy Pelosi happened to appear.

Ms Pelosi took the opportunity to schmooze the good doctor a bit and asked him a question with which he was most at ease.

'Would you mind telling me, Doctor,' she asked, 'how you detect a mental deficiency in somebody who appears completely normal?'

'Nothing is easier,' he replied. 'You ask a simple question which anyone should answer with no trouble.

If the person hesitates, that puts you on the track.'

'What sort of question?' asked Pelosi. Well, you might ask, 'Captain Cook made three trips around the world and died during one of them. Which one?''

Pelosi thought a moment, and then said with a nervous laugh,

'You wouldn't happen to have another example would you? I must confess I don't know much about history..'



***Can you believe it ??? and she is the United States Congress House Speaker!!!!!!

itsy bitsy love quiz - from esutras organics: http://www.esutras.com

Okay - this came to me from a friend who is a 'fiend' eSutras Organics... -- and i knew at once i had to share this with you all.....

APHRODISIACS IN YOUR KITCHEN ????

The sexual power of food has been enhancing our libidos for centuries. We've all heard that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and those foods like truffles, oysters and asparagus contain chemicals that arouse us or improve sexual performance.

But what about the less well-known , easy to find aphrodisiacs that have been in use for thousand of years around the world? Can almonds, oats, crushed beetles or chocolate turn us on? Take our quick quiz and find out how to spice up your life - in the kitchen and out...


1) Which of the following should you eat if you're trying to increase production of sperm, testosterone or vaginal lubrication?
Dairy products
Oranges
Whole grain
Coffee
2) Which food contains a chemical very similar to the male sex hormone?

Plum
Truffles
Prawns
Asparagus
3) Why does a mouthful of chocolate make us feel so damned good?

The sugar triggers the release of serotonin the body's 'feel-good' chemical and produces endorphins in the brain, giving us an almost orgasmic rush
The fat content acts on the nerve chemical galanin, which controls our cravings for food, and also enhances the chocolate's flavour
Chocolate contains caffeine and phenylethylamine, which stimulate the brain and increases blood pressure and heart rate.
All of the above
4) Spanish Fly, a famous aphrodisiac known to be toxic when used improperly, is made from which of the following?

Spanish flies
Powdered human bone marrow
Crushed beetles
Desiccated butterfly wings
5) Which of the following food has recently been shown to reduce the male sex drive?

Semolina
Licorice
Garlic
Cultivated mushrooms
6) Which of the following ingredients are you most likely to see in a love potion?

Melons
Plums
Nuts
Passion fruit
7 ) What of the following from garlic is said to increase libido ?

Heat
Spiciness
Heat
Flavor

8 ) Asparagus is said to increase libido, because of which of the following ?

Phallic shape
Taste
Color
Nutrients
9 ) Alcohol is said to increase libido, true or false ?

True
False


Check your Answers:

Question #: 1 Which of the following should you eat if you're trying to increase production of sperm, testosterone or vaginal lubrication?

The correct answer: Whole grains
Answer explanation: Foods such as whole grains, beef and particularly oysters are considered aphrodisiacs because they're high in zinc. Zinc is vital for the production of hormones, particularly prostaglandin, the hormone that regulates the growth and functioning of the sex organs.

Question #: 2 Which food contains a chemical very similar to the male sex hormone?

The correct answer: Truffles
Answer explanation: These underground fungi have been proven to turn women on. The musk scent of truffles excites the sensory glands on the skin. Female pigs become sexually excited at the musty, chemical smell of truffles, which is why they're used to find them (to female pigs, the smell is the same as that of a hog's breath! ). In laboratory tests on women, photographs of men were considered more sexy when the aroma of truffles was secretly released into the room.

Question #: 3 Why does a mouthful of chocolate make us feel so damned good?
The correct answer: All of the above
Answer explanation: A box of chocolates is the ideal gift for Valentines as chocolate contains a cocktail of chemicals that make us feel good. The effects of eating chocolate increased heart rate, excitement, and satisfaction have been identified as the same as those we experience when we fall in love. Aaaah !!

Question #: 4 Spanish Fly, a famous aphrodisiac known to be toxic when used improperly, is made from which of the following?

The correct answer: Crushed beetles
Answer explanation: The crushed and powdered body of the emerald-green blister beetle is considered an aphrodisiac. When the dried and crushed body of the beetle makes contact with the skin, it causes swelling and blistering (and, some men hoped, swelling of the penis). It was believed that, if slipped into the drink of a lady, it would arouse the desire for sex. Which it didn't (one of the Marquis de Sade's attempts at an orgy failed and he poisoned a roomful of prostitutes). And contrary to myths or sales hype, the cocktail Spanish Fly does not contain any crushed beetles, just a mix of tequila and cinnamon.

Question #: 5 Which of the following food has recently been shown to reduce the male sex drive?

The correct answer: Licorice
Answer explanation: The New England Journal of Medicine recently published findings from research into the dried rhizome and roots of the Glycyrrhiza glabra plant, from which licorice is extracted. The root contains an active ingredient that interacts with male hormone production and decreases testosterone production. Eating 250g of licorice has the same effect on testosterone production as smoking 10 marijuana joints, the research concluded.

Question #: 6 Which of the following ingredients are you most likely to see in a love potion?

The correct answer: Nuts
Answer explanation: For thousands of years, nuts have been ground up and make into love potions and serums. Pine nuts are a common aphrodisiac around the Mediterranean, walnuts are a sign of fertility in Italy, and gingko nuts form a large part of Chinese herbal medicine. It's the smell of nuts that drives some women wild, while men benefit from nuts high in zinc. The antioxidant properties of some nuts stimulate the circulation and, according to one ancient Arabic love manual, all you need for a night of passion is 'a glass of thick honey, plus 20 almonds and 100 pine nuts'.

Question #: 7 What of the following from garlic is said to increase libido ?
The correct answer: Heat
Answer explanation: "A lot of men with heart disease will have impotence but not realize poor circulation and narrowing of the arteries in the groin is to blame. Garlic can help. A good flow of blood to the groin means a man should not have a problem with sex."
Not quite an aphrodisiac but possibly enough to account for the stinking rose's unlikely romantic reputation?

Question #: 8 Asparagus is said to increase libido, because of which of the following ?
The correct answer: Nutrients
Answer explanation: A classic in the aphrodisiac world. Whether boiled or steamed the asparagus is an effective stimulant. This erotic shaped vegetable is best, cooked and consumed whole. Part of the lily family, asparagus contains plenty of vitamin A and C. Consume over three consecutive days for the most powerful effect.

Question #: 9 Alcohol is said to increase libido, true or false ?

The correct answer: False
Answer explanation: Alcohol is a depressant and while it decreases your inhibitions, excess alcohol in your system kills all sexual desire and performance! So go easy on that drink at your next party ….

Results Diagnosis:
9 out of 9 - Oh wow – your love life is fit to be envied!
5 out of 9 - Not bad for starters, but it's probably best that you eat out this Valentines.
Less than 5 - Let's be honest, you're more than you think you are... Do your love life a favor and start treating yourself and your loved one to some seriously sexy food.