New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende celebrates the pleasures of the sensual life in this rich, joyful and slyly humorous book, a combination of personal narrative and treasury of erotic lore. Under the aegis of the Goddess of Love, Isabel Allende uses her storytelling skills brilliantly in Aphrodite to evoke the delights of food and sex. After considerable research and study, she has become an authority on aphrodisiacs, which include everything from food and drink to stories and, of course, love. Readers will find here recipes from Allende's mother, poems, stories from ancient and foreign literatures, paintings, personal anecdotes, fascinating tidbits on the sensual art of foodand its effects on amorous performance, tips on how to attract your mate and revive flagging virility, passages on the effect of smell on libido, a history of alcoholic beverages, and much more. An ode to sensuality that is an irresistible blend of memory, imagination and the senses, Aphrodite is familiar territory for readers who know her fiction. "Aphrodisiacs of every eyebrow-raising stripe are the spicy matter of Aphrodite, a thoroughly charming non-fiction narrative by acclaimed San Rafael novelist Isabel Allende. . . . Engaging, deliciously detailed and something of an aphrodisiac itself, Allende's wide-ranging meditation on the methodology of seduction is sure to excite as many literary appetites as libidinous ones." - San Francisco Chronicle "Like a slow, seductive lover, Allende teases, tempts and titillates with mesmerizing stories and legends about gluttony--sexual and otherwise." - Washington Post Under the aegis of the Goddess of Love, Isabel Allende uses her storytelling skills brilliantly in Aphrodite to evoke the delights of food and sex. After considerable research and study, she has become an authority on aphrodisiacs, which include everything from food and drink to stories and, of course, love. Readers will find here recipes from Allende's mother, poems, stories from ancient and foreign literatures, paintings, personal anecdotes, fascinating tidbits on the sensual art of foodand its effects on amorous performance, tips on how to attract your mate and revive flagging virility, passages on the effect of smell on libido, a history of alcoholic beverages, and much more. An ode to sensuality that is an irresistible blend of memory, imagination and the senses, Aphrodite is familiar territory for readers who know her fiction. Isabel Allende , born in Peru and raised in Chile, is a novelist, feminist, and philanthropist. She is one of the most widely read authors in the world, having sold more than eighty million copies of her books across forty-two languages. She is the author of several bestselling and critically acclaimed books, including The House of the Spirits, Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna, and Paula . In addition to her work as a writer, Isabel devotes much of her time to human rights causes. She has received fifteen honorary doctorates, been inducted into the California Hall of Fame, and received the PEN Center Lifetime Achievement Award and the Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and in 2018, she received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation. She lives in California with her husband and dogs. You can visit Isabel Allende at IsabelAllende.com or follow her on Instagram @AllendeIsabel, on Facebook at Facebook.com/IsabelAllende and on X @IsabelAllende "Like a slow, seductive lover, Allende teases, tempts and titillates with mesmerizing stories and legends about gluttonysexual and otherwise." Aphrodite A Memoir of the Senses By Allende, Isabel Perennial Copyright © 2004 Isabel Allende All right reserved. ISBN: 0060930179 Champagne Tenderloin 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 lean beef tenderloins Salt and coarse black pepper to taste 2 heaping tablespoons large golden raisins 1 garni of assorted herbs 1 dove garlic 1/2 cup champagne 1/2 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes A bottle of champagne is a lot for two normal lovers. There's always some left over, and once uncorked the bubbles dissipate and the champagne turns to a yellowish liquid with no soul or personality. Use the dregs for this recipe. Since it takes almost no time to prepare, you can have everything ready and--after heating up with caresses, champagne, and assorted hors d'oeuvres--the two of you can whip into the kitchen and make dinner in twenty minutes. Preparation: Heat the oil. Brown the beef on one side. Season with salt and pepper. Turn and brown the other side. Add the raisins, herbs, garlic, and champagne. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cook 5 minutes more, and serve. Sybarite 2 cups fresh figs, peeled 4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar 4 tablespoons ground walnuts 2 teaspoons co