Have you ever noticed how good food and good sex just kind of go together? It turns out that this association goes back a really long time, so we’re going to dive into some of that fascinating history today. For example, I bet you didn’t know that the world’s first restaurants weren’t just places people went to eat–they were also places people went to have sex!

My guest today is Rachel Hope Cleves, a professor of history at the University of Victoria and a member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada. She is the author of four award-winning nonfiction history books and one science fiction novel. Her latest book is titled “Lustful Appetites: An Intimate History of Good Food and Wicked Sex.”

Some of the specific topics we explore include:

How did people come to think that spicy food lead to sexual temptation?
What’s the history of the restaurant as a place people originally visited for both food and sex?
What kinds of aphrodisiacs did early restaurants serve? And why were these foods thought to increase sexual desire?
How did early restaurants collaborate with sex workers to do business?
Historically, how have restaurants used women’s sex appeal to increase business?

You can check out Rachel’s website to learn more about her work.

Got a sex question? Send me a podcast voicemail to have it answered on a future episode at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology.

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Episode 371: The History of Good Food and Wicked Sex

Sex and Psychology Podcast

Episode 371: The History of Good Food and Wicked Sex