I was writing a recipe for French onion soup with the aid of my neighbour who is 84 and swears that it has restorative properties. Mind you she also has half a pint of cider and a side of pork belly for breakfast every day! Although I take some of these old French wives tales with a pinch of salt I thought I’d do some research into the humble onion. At 84 years old my neighbour is a vigorous, energetic and amazingly youthful old lady – so I figured maybe she has something here.
I was pretty astounded to discover that in days of old, onions were considered an aphrodisiac. I must say if that were true then we in the North of France would be permanently running around in a state of arousal since it’s a vegetable that seems to be served at almost every meal. In case you’re wondering – we are not running around craving the “company” of our neighbours – not in THAT sense anyway!
The British Onion website states that the onion is referenced in many classic Hindu texts on the art of making love – I will take their word on it. They also say that in ancient Greece, onions were commonly used as an aphrodisiac remedy, while in the days of the Egyptians Pharaohs celibate priests were forbidden to eat onions because of the potential effects on their libido.
In France, it was once a custom for newly weds to be served onion soup on the morning after their wedding night – well I never!
If you’re intrigued and want to try if for yourself – I’ve published M-T’s traditional French onion soup recipe here– let me know how it goes
