Did you know the smell of pumpkin pie increases the flow of blood to the sex organs by 40 per cent? Yes, really. With Halloween on the horizon, your luck could most definitely be in.
Who knew the power of pumpkin?
A study late last year by a chap called Dr Hirsch looked at 31 men between the ages of 18 and 64 and 30 women between the ages of 18 and 40 and measured how they reacted sexually to a range of different smells.
He found that men liked a combination of lavender and pumpkin pie, which showed an increased blood flow of 40 per cent. While cinnamon buns, in combination with liqourice and doughnuts, were associated with a 31.5 per cent increase. Women were most aroused when they smelt liqourice and cucumber and a combination of lavender and pumpkin pie.
Dr Hirsch found that all these scents were associated with increased blood flow to the sexual organs but there were also differences based on the men’s age and their sex lives. Younger men, who said they were happy with their sex lives, preferred the smell of strawberries, while older guys liked vanilla.
Surprisingly in women, the smell of aftershave reduced blood flow to the vagina. Other turn offs included the scent of barbecue smoke and cherry.
So, the lesson here is that on your next date men go easy on the aftershave and cook a pumpkin pie for your new partner.
Here is a recipe, courtesy of the Good Food magazine:
Ingredients
750g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, desseded and chopped into chunks
350g sweet shortcut pastry
plain flour for dusting
140g caster sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs beaten
25g butter melted
175 ml milk
1 tbsp icing sugar
1. Put the pumpkin in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins. Drain allow the pumpkin to cool.
2. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll out the pastry and use it to line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Allow to chill for 15 mins. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans and bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for a further 10 mins until the base is a pale golden colour and biscuit texture. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
3. Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon. Mix in the beaten eggs, milk and melted butter, then add to the pumpkin purée and stir to combine. Pour into the pastry shell and cook for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Continue to cook for 35-40 mins until the filling has just set.
4. Leave to cool, then remove the pie from the tin. Mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and dust over the pie. Serve chilled.
Good luck!
Let us know how you get on with your recipe @lovestruck
