IF there is one thing that transcends a global pandemic, cyclones, unemployment and that depressing feeling of not being able to travel – it is love.
Valentine’s Day has extra special meaning this year as we show appreciation for loved ones that have stood by our side during these trying times.
Gourmet eateries like KANU Gastropub by Chef Lance Seeto in Nadi are pulling out all the stops to ensure married and dating couples can express their love through a journey of extra special food.
This lover’s weekend should not just be a frenzied feed of buffet food but an experience of Fiji’s finest produce to get the romantic juices flowing.
Sexy foods and exotic cocktails have long played an important role to express love at Valentine’s Day as they represent everything sexual and loving at this time of the year.
These aphrodisiac foods and drinks activate the mood chemicals in your brain and stimulate the hot and fiery feeling of lovemaking.
From avocado and fresh seafood, hot and spicy dishes, to super sweet and naughty dark chocolate, Fiji has many of the love foods in abundance and in season right now.
And when prepared by professional chefs with finesse and delicacy, the experience of these romantic foods is on a whole different level. Avocados are said to be extremely aphrodisiac.
The ancient Aztecs called its plant “ahuacatl” or “testicles tree”, because of the shape of this fruit and the way they hang in the tree – one up and one down.
Catholic priests in Spain thought avocados were so obscene and sexual that they banned it for a long time.
It is said that their aphrodisiac effects rest particularly in the seed. Seafood including crustaceans and shellfish have long been associated with aphrodisiacs for hundreds of years because of the nutrients they deliver from the sea, and oysters remain the most popular to this day.
What is most exciting about oysters, however, is that they are one of the few aphrodisiacs that have scientific research to back up the claims of them being effective in inducing enhanced sexual behaviour because of their high zinc content.
Casanova, the most famous pickup artist in European folklore, was a lover from the 18th century that was notorious for eating oysters in large quantities.
Over the course of his lifetime, he claimed to have seduced more than 100 women, fuelled in part by his insatious appetite for oysters.
Researchers from the United States and Italy found that the amino acids in oysters triggered massive spikes in sex hormones.
Hormones make us feel a craving to mate, and jumps in their activity make the drive strong in men in particular, even if they have dealt with erectile dysfunction.
In Savusavu, the pearl oyster from the J. Hunter Pearl farm is known as the Hawaiian Scallop or Fijian civa.
They are mainly used to grow our famous coloured pearls but the farm also sets aside a limited supply of pearl oysters to eat – and they are amazing.
Internationally, the pearl oyster is considered a premium seafood delicacy, and has become one of the most sought after seafood delicacies.
Unlike the soft creaminess of rock oysters, which can be an acquired taste, civa is crunchy and fibrous, like a cross between a scallop and giant vasua clam.
It can be steamed or eaten raw with lemon juice and chilli. If you enjoy vasua and sici clams, you’ll fall in love with civa, especially when it is served in its natural marble shell.
Of all the sexy foods, a romantic dinner without dark chocolate is just not the same.
Not the milk chocolate we are used to in chocolate bars, but the exotic dark chocolate.
Many people have heard that chocolate is for lovers.
But it’s not just because women love chocolate and get excited about opening a box of chocolates.
There’s a biological basis for chocolate’s sexy effects.
Dark chocolate possesses substances that affect our moods, energy, and sexual function in truly remarkable ways.
Fiji is fortunate to have an abundance of cacao in our northern islands and chocolate companies including Adi’s Chocolate
and Vanua Chocolate offer a range of dark chocolate treats to enjoy.
This weekend KANU Nadi is celebrating the Lover’s Weekend of Fiji’s aphrodisiac foods including avocado, pearl oysters, the
freshest fish, crustaceans, crabs and an oozing molten chocolate pudding that Chef Seeto has been serving for decades.
You can even take the pearl oyster shells home as a souvenir and just in case you have more than one lover in your life, KANU
is offering their Lover’s Menu on both Saturday and Sunday. Seating is limited and bookings are essential.
Dive into the full menu on the KANU Facebook page!
