Cheese

Dairy is not necessarily a food group evocative of sensuality. Yet cheese is a delicacy of European culture, said by some to resemble the scent of a woman. Embraced in Italian culture as an aphrodisiac, cheese contains ten times as much PEA, phenylethylamine – believed to release the same rush of hormones as sexual intercourse -- as does chocolate.

Australian researcher, Dr. Max Lake, who has performed extensive study on the connection between sexual arousal and culinary scents comments, “The vaguely sexual odors of certain cheeses may be pleasant to both men and women.” In addition to the PEA provided by a serving of cheese, Lake gathered that part of this ancient food’s appeal is in its scent. The five-carbon fatty acid that gives most cheeses their flavor is a close relative to a mid-cycle vaginal pheromone.