As the erotic series Fifty Shades of Grey – often referred to as ‘Mommy Porn’ – continues to enjoy worldwide popularity, fans and foodies are coming up with tantalizing -- and titillating -- ways to indulge their libidinous appetites.
From Fifty Shades of Grey-themed parties and menu ideas to cooking classes, the fastest-selling book of all time in Britain is steaming things up in the kitchen.
In California, for instance, a band of ladies recently participated in a cooking class themed after the raunchy trilogy, whipping up foods like Playroom Pretzel Ropes, Bondage Wrapped Shrimp with Vanilla Bean Citrus Beurre Blanc, and a dessert aptly called The Flogger, reported local paper The Ventura County Star.
Alongside scenes of bondage and sadomasochism, food plays a subtle catalyst to Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey’s deepening sexual relationship, as the couple indulges in the secondary pleasure with decadent foods.
From predictable aphrodisiacs like oysters, wine, champagne and fresh strawberries, to high-brow meals like Beef Wellington, venison and duck with cherries, food often acts as a prelude or post-coital treat -- a detail that fans and entrepreneurs alike are jumping on.
The Cooking Channel offers a variety of menu ideas for a Fifty Shades of Grey-themed party or intimate dinner for two, with suggestions like Bratwurst – not because it’s mentioned in the books, but for the 'visuals' – and vanilla, for Grey's refusal to engage in 'vanilla sex.'
Foodily.com also offers recipe ideas using known aphrodisiacs with a menu that starts with a vanilla bean cocktail, oysters, a basil, fig and honey salad, and ends with chocolate and strawberries.
Fans have likewise been adding photos to a Pinterest page of ‘food porn’ chronicling all the dishes mentioned throughout the trilogy with fastidious detail, including specific wine varieties -- Pouilly Fumé -- and Twinings tea.
And trend-tracking site BuzzFeed also collected photos of Fifty Shades of Grey-themed desserts that include a layered cake in differing grey hues and tie-cookies.
