The phallic shape of the asparagus has made it the most popular aphrodisiac vegetable. No erotic menu would be complete without Madame Pompadour's recipe:

"Dress and cook the asparagus sticks in the normal way by plunging them into boiling water. Slice them obliquely toward the tips in pieces no bigger than the little finger. Take only the choicest sections, and keeping them hot, allow them to drain while the sauce is being prepared in the manner following -- Work ten grammes of flour and a lump of butter together, a good pinch of powdered nutmeg and the yolks of two eggs diluted with four spoonfuls of water acidulated with lemon juice. After cooking this sauce, drop in the asparagus tips and serve in a covered casserole."