Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac?

Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac?

So deeply rooted is our belief in chocolate's romantic properties that it's become a cliché to offer chocolates to a beloved. Blame it on the Aztecs. They may have been the first to push the notion that chocolate put would-be lovers in an amorous mood. Modern science has looked at the question of whether or not chocolate is really an aphrodisiac, investigating the hope that chemicals found in high-quality chocolate act as mood enhancers that could theoretically increase sexual desire. But if chocolate contains both tryptophan (a component of the brain chemical serotonin that has an effect on sexual arousal) and phenylethylamine (a stimulant that gets released when we "fall" in love), evidence is scant that the traces found in chocolate can actually increase sexual desire. While it is said to have done the trick for Casanova and Montezuma, research suggests that women are more susceptible to the mood-altering effects of chocolate. And some recent studies have claimed that the chocolate-lover may get more amorous pleasure out of eating it than actually having sex.

What's the difference between sorbet and sherbet?

What's the difference between sorbet and sherbet?

Sorbet and sherbet are both sweet, fruity frozen desserts with a soft texture. But if sorbet is made from fruit juice or purée that is mixed with a sugar syrup and sometimes alchohol (Italian meringue may be added to sorbet to enhance its volume), its American cousin sherbet contains a small amount of milk or cream (for a total of 1 to 2 percent milk fat). To make matters more complicated, in Turkish, sherbet is a chilled drink made with rose hips, cornelian cherries, rose or licorice and spices that's believed to have medicinal powers. In the UK, sherbet is a sweetened effervescent powder that's added to drinks like lemonade. And if someone asks you if you'd like some sherbert, they're just making a common mistake of mispronouncing the name.