Passionate Pizza

   OK, so last night you did the "will you be my Valentine" thing, and he or she said "yes!". Now what's the best way to keep the momentum going? Feed your love a passionately potent aphrodisiac, in the form of a pizza!. The word "aphrodisiac” comes from the name of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Dr. Alan R. Hirsch, Neurological Director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, conducted a recent study in which he determined that the smell of a cheese pizza served as an aphrodisiac, increasing male romantic interest by five per cent. (Don't you wonder exactly how he measured that?)
   Let's look at a few of the potent ingredients that could be involved here, starting with tomatoes. Those little red goodies are called "pomme d'amour" by the French, or "apple of love". Good starter, eh? Of course, once you've got the tomato sauce spread over the crust, other toppings need to follow.
   Do you like garlic? This fragrant member of the genus Allium has been touted as an aphrodisiac by the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese and Japanese. Be generous with the garlic.
   How about a few olives? Olive oil is said to be an aphrodisiac. Rumour has it that green olives work their magic better on men, while black olives are the right ones to serve to women if you want to test their amatory properties.
   Onions are pretty common fare on a pizza. If you have previously eschewed them on yours, it's time to reconsider the pungent Allium cepa. Ancient Hindu texts praise the use of onions as integral to the art of making love. Thousands of years ago, pharaohs forbid the celibate priests to eat onions, in case they got too sidetracked from their job at the temple!
   You'll want to add some herbs or spices to that pizza, I'm sure, and basil is a great one to start with. In fact, you might want to stop there too, once you know about the claims made on its behalf. Basil is there on the list of substances thought to boost sex drive, but it's also believed to enhance fertility, so be careful with the use of it. Two is company, but baby makes three, and that's a crowd you might not want, just yet!
   Some of you are convinced by now, I'm sure, but for you skeptics in the crowd, here's the proof positive you've been awaiting. Pizza is indeed a potent aphrodisiac, as witnessed by the readiness of a product development team in Iceland to spend money and time on this. We all know Iceland is a small country to start with, and damn cold into the bargain. How can they ensure the Icelandic population maintains a growth rate? The product developers in Iceland are currently working on a pizza made with foods known to be aphrodisiacs. Their "prototype passion pizza", is being tested by consumer groups this February. Look out world, "pizzagra" is on the way!