Five Romantic Sweets said to be great for your Valentine

We explore five romantic sweets foods said to be great for your Valentine. With many people opting to stay home and cook this Valentine's Day we thought it would be useful to list some romantic sweet foods to finish your dinner.

Light the candles, put on your favourite play list and treat your Valentine to a romantic dinner at home. From brownie hearts to valentine cake giftsand cookie hearts, sweet things play a huge role in a romantic dinner. 

There's little rigorous research around what constitutes a romantic sweet. Truth be known the designation as to what is a romantic sweet is probably a mix of perhaps food chemistry, physiological conditioning, myth and cultural conditioning. There is not a lot of research to support any claim to a romantic food however even in the absence of research some foods have for centuries inspired love and romance. With Valentines Day the day of devotion to your Valentine, forget the why or how and simply indulge with these sweet suggestions:

Pomegranate

According to the Ancient Greek mythology, the pomegranate was the symbol for Aphrodite, the goddess of love. This delicious and almost prehistoric looking fruit has long been associated with romance, health and longevity for a very long time. While there are lots of recipes that use  Pomegranate why not try out Chocolate Chip and Pomegranate Cookies for Valentine Dessert?

 Honey

Prescribed by Hippocrates, honey has long been considered a romantic food. The word "honeymoon" comes from the word mead which was given to newly married couples.

Chocolate

According to the Mayans cocoa was named  because they thought it was "God's Food". It's said that the emperor Montezuma so believed in the power of chocolate he consumed a goblet each time before entering his harem. Some reports say he drank up to 50 cups a day!

Even today there are thoughts that chocolate produces chemicals that make for feeling better. There are chemicals in chocolate like tryptophan that in the body helps to produce a hormone called serotonin. This hormone is associated with feeling good. Chocolate also contains theobromine a chemical that increases energy and stimulates the heart. An amphetamine type chemical called phenylethylamine is also found in chocolate and is thought to be the chemical that gives us the "falling in love" feeling .Research backs up similar chemicals in chocolate but I am not sure of any definitive study that has proven that there is enough of any of these chemicals in chocolate in the amounts we'd eat to have any effect on romance. But that shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying chocolate.:)

Modern day Valentine Chocolate gifts are said to be the creation of the Cadbury Brothers. Looking to market their chocolate they came up with a heart shaped box filled with delectable morsels.

Of course chocolate is easy enough to buy for Valentine's Day. The Dello Mano Valentine Gift collection offers Chocolate Brownies, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Truffles 

 Strawberries

As far back as Ancient Rome the strawberry has played a integral role. considered the Symbol of Venus, the goddess of love believed to be due to its luscious taste, heart shape and bright red colour. Strawberry is the only fruit to have seeds on its outside. For this reason the strawberry became the symbol of fertility.

Valentines Day is the perfect day to combine two of our romantic foods chocolate and strawberries. Dark chocolate is the easiest to use. Melt some drk chocolate over a double boiler or quickly in the microwave.

If you're using the microwave be very careful not to overheat your chocolate. Heating chocolate in the microwave creates pockets of heat and can create hot spots that will burn your chocolate. We suggest 15 sec hits of microwave and then stir, Repeat this process depending on how much chocolate you're melting until you have smooth warm chocolate. Take care not to raise you chocolate temperature above 45 C.

Once the chocolate is melted and cooled slightly dip your strawberries.. You can fancy them up by also melting some white chocolate and drizzling over the dark chocolate covered strawberries. A great double up combination of romantic strawberries and chocolate.

Figs

 Figs were one of the very first trees to be cultivated. they've played a significant role in art, history, literature and religion. They are thought to have been cultivated as early as 4000 BC. Associated in Ancient Greece with Demeter the Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility. Figs are associated with the creation story of Adam and Eve.

Although not a lot of proven science, through history these foods have long been considered romantic. They're deeply embedded in our culture as foods that represent romance and will always be welcome at the end of a Valentine Dinner.