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http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/02/21/feature-01
Morocco dismantles widespread domestic terrorist network

21/02/2008

Investigations into a suspected terrorist network in Morocco led to the arrests of three senior political party officials, Morocco's interior ministry announced on Wednesday. The group, trained in part by Hezbollah, is believed to have links to al-Qaeda.

By Sarah Touahri and Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 21/02/08

[Sarah Touahri] Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday (February 20th) Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa said Moroccan investigators have dismantled a "major Jihadist terror network" established in Tangier in 1992.

Moroccan authorities announced Monday (February 18th) that security services had dismantled a "major Jihadist terrorist network, which was preparing to perpetrate acts of violence in the country." Painstaking intelligence work led to the identification and subsequent arrest of the group's main active members.

Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa told the press on Wednesday that the investigations had uncovered a number of branches of the network, originally established in 1992 in Tangier. The group had connections to terrorist organisations active in Morocco and abroad, including al-Qaeda. Benmoussa said the network was preparing to assassinate top-level civilian and military officials and Moroccan Jewish citizens.

In all, 32 people representing a broad cross-section of society have been detained. Many are educated professionals, one is a police superintendent and three more are senior political party leaders. The network is reportedly led by Moroccan Abdelkader Belliraj, a resident of Belgium.

The interior ministry said searches of the residences and workplaces of members of the "Belliraj Cell" in Casablanca and Nador led to the seizure of large quantities of weapons, ammunitions and explosives, as well as supplies intended to conceal the terrorists' identities.

The ministry added that police helped to identify the sources of financing for the Belliraj cell, including armed robbery, sale of stolen goods, and direct contributions by members. The terrorist organisation also reportedly smuggled some 30 million dirhams into the country in 2001 that were invested in money-laundering endeavours in tourist, real estate and commercial projects in several Moroccan cities. Real estate purchased by the group was also used to house some of the terrorists.

The interior minister also revealed that the group received explosives and arms training from Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2002.

The Moroccan public was perhaps most shocked by the arrests of Secretary-General Mustapha Lmouaatassim and El Amine Regala of the Al-Badil Al-Hadari (Civilised Alternative) party, as well as Mohamed El Merouani, leader of the unrecognised Al Oumma (The Nation) party.

According to the interior minister, the terrorist network was found to be instrumental in the creation of the Al-Badil Al-Hadari party. As a result, Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi decreed the dissolution of the party, under Article 57 of the law governing political parties.

Al-Badil Al-Hadari contributed to the creation of an Islamist association in 1995 before becoming a full-fledged party in 2005. The party fielded candidates in the September 2007 legislative elections but failed to win any seats.

Al Oumma began as a partisan offshoot of Al Haraka Min Ajli Oumma (Movement for the Nation). Founded in 1998, the party applied for government recognition in 2007 but has yet to be approved.

"The creation of the Al-Badil Al-Hadari association in 1995 and Al Haraka Min Ajli Al Oumma in 1998," Chakib Benmoussa explained, "was just a front for the members of the [terrorist] network."

Saad Al Othmani, Secretary-General of the Justice and Development Party expressed his surprise at the arrests, saying the political leaders were "all known for moderation, rejection of violence and extremism, and for working within the framework of institutions and established national principles."

"We are sure that there is some sort of an error," he said, "and we hope it will be corrected."

Meanwhile, Mohamed Moujahid, leader of Morocco's Unified Socialist Party, said the charges are "in contradiction with their stances that call for modernity, democracy and human rights".

Mohamed Ziane, leader of the Moroccan Liberal Party, commented on the case, saying, "Political struggle has nothing to do with violence. The proponents of a culture of violence have no place in politics. This rule applies to both leftist and rightist ideologies."

In a statement issued Tuesday, Ibrahim Borja, Vice-Secretary-General of Al-Badil Al-Hadari condemned Mustapha Lmouaatassim's arrest, describing him and El Amine Regala as proponents of democracy and rejecters of all forms of extremism and terrorism, and called for their immediate release.

He said the arrests were a crackdown on people trying to effect a real democratic transition in Morocco. Mohamed Ben Hammou, leader of the Citizenship and Development Initiative party, said if the allegations prove true, then it is both shocking and frustrating. "Morocco is our country. We should defend it, particularly when we accept a position of political responsibility. We have to be vigilant when it comes to extremism. No one has the right to go down any route other than the democratic one," he declared.

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — A pro-Moroccan Sahrawi group blasted a top UN official Thursday, as vandalism of prehistoric art by UN peacekeepers in the disputed territory of Western Sahara blossomed into a diplomatic incident.

In a statement sent to AFP here, the Casablanca-based Moroccan Sahara Association (ASM), described as a "serious diplomatic faux pas" the apology offered to the Polisario independence movement by the head of the UN mission in Western Sahara (Minurso).

Minurso said that the official, Briton Julian Harston, discussed the affair with Polisario representatives during UN-sponsored talks on the territory's future in the New York suburb of Manhasset earlier this month.

Harston "apologized for the unthinking actions of some Minurso members in the past and undertook to investigate the matter further and explore the possibility of remedial action," a Minurso statement said.

This gesture to the Polisario, which wants a referendum with the option of full independence from the Rabat government, sparked anger from the ASM. That group is loyal to Morocco, which has offered broad autonomy to the Sahrawis in the territory.

ASM chief Reda Daoujni warned that if an apology was not offered to his group, it would call for a rally outside the Minurso offices in Western Sahara and in Rabat to protest Harston's "blatant pro-separatist stance."

A UN spokesman here said Harston "apologized to the Polisario representatives because they were the ones who brought up the issue with him at Manhasset."

But Ahmed Bujari, the Polisario representative to the UN, dismissed the ASM protest and told AFP: "Morocco has no legal basis to complain since no one in the world recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara."

"What is important is that Minurso agreed to investigate the affair and to take steps to have those responsible prosecuted in their own countries."

Bujari said the vandalism of prehistoric art carved onto rocks depicting human and animal figures occurred at Lajuad in the "liberated territory under Polisario control in the central south of Western Sahara."

"This is a cultural legacy going back 6,000 years," he said.

UN peacekeepers monitor a truce along a defense wall in the Sahara constructed by Morocco following a UN-brokered peace deal in 1991 between Morocco and the Polisario.

Morocco's director of national heritage Abdallah Salih spoke out against the vandalism. "We condemn these acts committed in the demilitarized zone," he told AFP on Thursday.

Minurso said that since the Polisario drew attention to the vandalism in the middle of 2007, "action has been taken to stop any further vandalism, and a formal enquiry is being undertaken."

The Times of London Thursday quoted Harston as saying Minurso personnel had sprayed graffiti onto rock art at an isolated site known as Devil Mountain, which the local population regards as of great cultural significance.

One Croatian peacekeeper reportedly sprayed "Petar CroArmy" across a rock face, while "Ibrahim" sprayed his name and number over a painting depicting a giraffe.

Morocco, which annexed the phosphate-rich, mainly desert Western Sahara in the 1970s following the withdrawal of colonial power Spain, and the Polisario failed to make any headway in their third round of direct talks this month.

But they agreed to hold a fourth round from March 11-13 to try to reconcile Morocco's offer of broad autonomy to the Sahrawis and the Polisario's demand for a referendum with the option of full independence.

Despite the 1991 ceasefire after years of fighting, a promised self-determination referendum never materialized and since 2002 Rabat has insisted that holding such a plebiscite is no longer realistic.
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http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/080215-morocco-mc

by Michel Hoebink*

15-02-2008

Moroccan Minister for Moroccan Communities Abroad Mohammed Ameur says that Moroccan migrants in Europe need to work harder to preserve their language and culture. But his statement has rubbed Dutch politicians the wrong way.

It's beginning to take on the appearance of a trend. While European immigration ministers emphasise the need for migrants to integrate - and preferably even assimilate - politicians from their countries of origin underline the need for migrants to preserve their cultural identity. Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan sparked an outcry when he said that assimilation was no less than a crime against humanity. The Moroccan minister appears to have taken a page from his book.

Moroccan women

Classes
In the French language magazine Aujourd'hui le Maroc, Minister Ameur recently revealed Morocco's new migrants policy. "The Moroccan community abroad", he argued, should be regarded as our country's 17th province." The spearhead of the new policy is to ensure that more children of Moroccan descent take classes in Moroccan culture and in Arabic.

The minister said that the number of children following such classes should over the next few years double from 60,000 to 150,000. The government will also earmark funds to enable young people to travel to Morocco so they can reinforce their bonds with their country of origin.

Irritation
Minister Ameur's statements have caused considerable irritation among Dutch politicians. Conservative MP Henk Kamp says the Moroccan policy is diametrically opposed to Dutch government attempts to further the integration of Moroccans in Dutch society.

Labour MP Khadija Arib, herself of Moroccan descent, argues that: "Moroccans in the Netherlands should focus on their lives here, so they can get ahead". She calls the Moroccan minister's policy old-fashioned. Ms Arib argues that the Moroccan government should understand that the new generations have less of a strong tie with Morocco.

Berber language
In addition to sparking widespread irritation about the Moroccan government's interference, the plans have raised serious concerns among many Moroccan migrants. Said bin Azouz from the Voice of Democratic Moroccans in the Netherlands says that "In principle, there is nothing wrong with preserving your own language and culture, but the question is which culture"?

Mr Bin Azouz argues that an open democratic Moroccan culture is not at odds with integration, but the traditional, static culture that the Moroccan government is promoting, is. Also, the Moroccan government seems to have forgotten that 80 percent of Moroccans in the Netherlands speak one of the Berber languages. To them Arabic is a second language, just like Dutch is.

Money
Attempts by the Moroccan government to retain its hold over its migrant communities are nothing new, and have repeatedly led to irritation. The Moroccan government refuses to allow its migrants to give up their Moroccan nationality and tries to force migrants to choose the names for their children from an officially approved list. A recently created Advisory Board to the Moroccan Community Abroad is also being regarded with suspicion.

There is a reason why the Moroccan government wants to retain strong ties with its migrant communities. There are more than three million Moroccans in Europe, more than 10 percent of the total Moroccan population. In addition to tourism and phosphate mining, the money sent home by these migrants is the country's main source of foreign exchange.

*RNW translation (gsh)

Tags: assimilation, Berber, Dutch politics, immigration, integration, language, migrants, Morocco, Turkey

A brush with Moroccan art
Published: 19th February 2008

MOROCCAN art, music and fashion will come under the spotlight in a three-day cultural festival to be hosted in Bahrain on April 29.

The Al Bareh Moroccan Cultural Festival, organised by Al Bareh Gallery of Assorted Arts, will be held under the patronage of Injaz executive director Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa.

Gallery general manager Hayfa Al Jishi said the festival aimed to introduce the audience, both Bahrainis and visitors, to the traditions, habits and arts that identify and distinguish the Moroccan culture.

"It is also an opportunity for the Moroccan people to demonstrate their various forms of assorted arts, music, fashion, architecture, handicrafts and cuisine - and to what extent they epitomise and reflect social value and creativity," she said.

"A collection of lectures and specialised workshops comprise the festival's programme to benefit from the artistic techniques and experiences offered by Moroccan culture.

"The notable focus on Morocco this year is a way of appreciating the country's history, civilisations, heritage, its geographic proximity to Europe and its various successive civilisations which influenced a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural taste that remarkably distinguishes the identity of Moroccan culture today."

© Gulf Daily News

From Monsters and Critics.com

Europe Features
Spanish Muslims at crossroads - integration or exclusion?
By DPA
Feb 13, 2008, 8:02 GMT

Madrid - Will Spain have a liberal or conservative type of Islam? Could fundamentalism soar? Will Muslims blend in, or will there be youth riots like in Paris in 2005? Can Spain find a third way between French-style assimilation of immigrants and British multiculturalism?

As the first modern generation of Spanish-born Muslims is coming of age, the country's Islamic communities stand at a crossroads.

The question of the integration of Muslims has come under a heated debate after the opposition conservatives announced they would ban Muslim headscarves in most schools if they win the March 9 elections.

The proposal sparked criticism from the governing Socialists and the far left, which slammed the conservatives as xenophobic racists.

'Immigrants should never become a cheap electoral merchandise,' Kamal Rahmouni, president of the Moroccan immigrants' association Atime, said in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Spain needs to develop 'solid elements' to deal with problems related to immigration when they arise, Rahmouni stressed, calling for a 'state pact' between the two main parties.

Spain is estimated to have more than a million Muslims, making Islam the country's second biggest religion after Roman Catholicism.

The Muslims are usually spoken of as a group, but in reality, they include a wide variety of nationalities ranging from up to 800,000 Moroccans - the largest group - to Pakistanis, people from the Middle East and West Africa.

The Muslims also include about 80,000 people living in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the Moroccan coast, and up to 25,000 converts.

The currents of Islam present in Spain range from traditional Moroccan Malekite Islam to orthodox Saudi Wahabism and even some marginal fundamentalist movements. A part of the Muslims, of course, practise their religion only occasionally or not at all.

In relations with the government, Muslims are represented by two federations.

The Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities (Feeri) represents a liberal home-grown Islam embraced by many converts, while the bigger Union of Spanish Islamic Communities (Ucide) stands for a more conservative, social brand.

'Many Muslims do not feel represented by these organs, which were created in the late 1980s and early 1990s,' Rahmouni says.

Internal divisions and rivalries have prevented Muslims from having a visible leader and a single voice, he observes.

That contributed to governments ignoring a pioneering 1992 agreement, which theoretically gives Muslims the same rights as Catholics, according to observers.

Critics of the 1996-2004 conservative governments say they had little enthusiasm for promoting Muslim rights because of their closeness to the Catholic Church.

As the number of Muslims has grown, the current Socialist government has timidly started reactivating cooperation with Islamic associations in the framework of a new foundation.

Madrid boasts what is billed as Europe's biggest mosque, the construction of which was financed by Saudi Arabia. Yet the vast majority of Spain's 700 mosques continue operating in garages, basements, former factories or warehouses.

With no national rules on the training of imams and hardly any state subsidies to mosques, they are often left dependent on money coming in from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Libya or Egypt.

That increases the danger of outside interference and of fundamentalism, according to Muslim analysts.

Spain currently has only about 30 teachers of Islam for more than 70,000 potential pupils at state schools.

Questions such as that of the headscarf are sorted out on the regional level, the tendency being to regard a girl's right to education as more important than criticism of a symbol which some see as denigrating women.

The Islamic communities and the government need to arrange for Muslims to have democratically-elected representatives in order to regulate the practice of Islam, Rahmouni says.

'Spain needs to find its own model of integration,' based on the existence of 17 semi-autonomous regions some of which have their own languages alongside Spanish, he said.

'Spain's cultural diversity will facilitate the integration of immigrants,' Rahmouni believes.

Spain is unique in Western Europe in that it was partly under Muslim rule for eight centuries until 1492. Spanish culture has numerous Arab-Berber influences including more than 4,000 Spanish words that are derivative from Arabic.

Few Spaniards, however, spare a thought for such links, and there have been dozens of cases of local people opposing the construction of mosques in regions such as north-eastern Catalonia.

The 2004 Islamist train bombings, which killed 191 people in Madrid, were followed by a slight increase in neo-Nazi attacks and threats against mosques, but on the whole, Rahmouni describes the reaction of Spanish society as 'very mature' - at least so far.



© Copyright 2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.

Submitted by Mudassir Rizwan on Tue, 02/12/2008 - 07:17.

* Muslim World News

By NNN-KUNA

Rabat : Kuwait and Morocco agreed on Monday to set up a joint cooperation agreement in the cultural field, particularly in books, translation and publication sector.

A statement from the Moroccan ministry of Culture said the agreement was based on mutual discussion between the Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) Bader al-Rifaei and Moroccan Minister of Culture Thouriya Jabrane.

Talks between the two sides included boosting bilateral cooperation derived from bilateral discussion during 14th Casablanca International Book Fair which opened last Friday here.

The statement also noted that the Secretary General invited Morocco to be part of the upcoming Arab Theater Festival which will be hosted by Kuwait next May.

The two sides also stressed importance on making their presence felt through joint activities and creativities from both countries, including joint cultural projects, the statement noted.

Independent.co.uk
Love bites: The naked truth about aphrodisiacs

This Thursday is Valentine’s Day – and if you’re planning a feast of amorous adventure, you’ll want your menu to push all the right buttons. But do aphrodisiacs actually work? Can fried lamb’s testicles really make the earth move? Christopher Hirst and his other half bravely find out

Lots of people celebrate St Valentine's Day by sticking in the knife. Purchasers may be succumbing to a long-standing delusion but it is a curious coincidence that the oyster happens to contain more zinc per serving than any other foodstuff. This element, as one authority delicately puts it, is "important to male organ function".

But the main reason why oysters formed the first course in my epic road-test of alleged aphrodisiacs, extending over several weeks, is that I love them above all other foods. My slightly reluctant Tasting Panel for this uplifting regime (well, very reluctant when it came to sheep's testicles) was my wife. "Mmm, aren't they terrific?" I said, slurping down a briny swirl of flesh from the half-shell. Tucking in with slightly less enthusiasm, the TP expressed doubts about the suitability of oysters for a St Valentine's supper. "With shellfish, you need to check beforehand with your dining partner," she said. "If I didn't know about oysters, I'd think, 'What are those slimy things?' and reach for my coat."

"But you do know about oysters."

"Only because I've been eating them for the past 24 years, ever since I met you."

She may have a point, damn it. As Dr Johnson pointed out, "It was a brave man who first ate an oyster." Moreover, it is a trifle unusual, at least in western culture, to eat animals that are still alive. It is debatable whether one's dining companion would enjoy learning the information imparted by Mark Kurlansky in his book The Big Oyster: "If the oyster is opened carefully, the diner is eating an animal with a working brain, a stomach, intestines, liver and a still-beating heart." Of course, a good chew puts paid to all that. The idea that oysters should be swallowed whole is one of the weirdest of all gastronomic canards. For those who don't find the whole idea of oysters repulsive, there can be something a little, well, stimulating about these saline treats. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall gets quite steamed up about the topic: "A slippery, salty oyster, recumbent and ready inside its glistening, pearl-lined cavity is undeniably arousing."

But you need to know the culinary CV of your putative sweetheart before presenting him or her with anything of an outré nature. Unfortunately, many aphrodisiacs are of an outré nature. Like whelks. A chap in the fish trade once told me that the reason South Korea forms the largest export market for UK whelks is due, in part at least, to a belief that they act as an aphrodisiac, at least for chaps. Apparently, sales dipped when Viagra came on the market. "Er, quite tasty," said the TP, once she had steeled herself sufficiently to take on board a forkful of my whelk, bacon and laver bread ragout. "But they are a bit chewy. I've had a whelk in my mouth for a minute now." Though I polished off the lion's share of the whelky stew, I cannot report much in the way of nocturnal arousal, unless you include a slight case of indigestion. "Well, there wasn't much in it for me," complained my wife.

With the possible exception of chocolate, which is rarely utilised as a main-course ingredient, the most promising aphrodisiac for women is the truffle. In her book Truffles, Elizabeth Luard explains the appeal of the stratospherically priced fungi: "Not to put too fine a point on it, the truffle reeks of sex." A botanist at an Italian centre for trufficulture told her: "When women come to work here, we warn them they're taking a risk." The pheromones emitted by the truffle ("heavy, musky, thrilling") had an effect on Luard when she visited the laboratory. "I observe that the chief botanist – bearded, fortyish, handsome in a rugged kind of way – has a lovely smile. See? It works."

Unfortunately, white truffles are out of season, while black Périgord truffles sell for £40-£80 apiece at London's Borough Market. The more affordable alternative of truffle oil certainly worked for Fergus Henderson, chef-patron of St John in Smithfield: "I cooked Margot pasta, cabbage and truffle oil and we've been married for 12 years." Less adventurously, we tried a salad of figs, prosciutto, goat's cheese and rocket (a vegetable banned in medieval monasteries due to its arousing properties) anointed with truffle oil. The penetrating aroma of truffles hung over the dish, which worked pretty well on the TP, at least gastronomically. "Mmm, figs and prosciutto," she sighed. "A marriage made in heaven."

Asparagus might be another possibility for female seduction, though the food writer Tamasin Day-Lewis complains it is "so obvious". It is also out of season in February. You can buy imported spears, but a protracted argument about the carbon footprint of Peruvian asparagus is unlikely to lead to bed. Eating the spears in the traditional style with fingers is not necessarily arousing either. The asparagus technique of a character in a PG Wodehouse novel is described as "Revolting. It alters one's whole conception of man as nature's last word." Then there is the aftermath of asparagus. The pong imparted to the urine of the asparagus-eater, akin to the mercaptans used as stenching agents in natural gas, is less than sexy.

Though chickpeas are a male aphrodisiac – according to the Kama Sutra, "If eaten every morning, you will be able to enjoy a hundred women" – my houmous went down very well with the TP. "I think any girl would be impressed if a man made houmous for her. Well, this one would." Another vegetable with unexpected erectile properties is the onion. In The Perfumed Garden, we are informed that when a certain Abu el Heiloukh ate onions "his member remained erect for 30 uninterrupted days". Though this is slightly excessive to requirements, the tasty allium seemed worth a bash, especially since Fergus Henderson's book Beyond Nose to Tail includes a recipe called Orbs of Joy for whole red onions braised in chicken stock. After six hours, the allium is transformed into a meltingly sweet, velvety sphere. "Like French onion soup without the soup," said the TP. "Yes, very seductive, but I think French onion soup is seductive as well."

For a topic that may not exist, there is a surprisingly voluminous library on aphrodisiacs. Marilyn Ekdahl Ravicz's work Erotic Cuisine: A Natural History of Aphrodisiac Cookery advocates such unexpected dishes as Coronation chicken, Indian curried eggs and bouillabaisse, but I went for squid sautéed in garlic. My rendition did not produce the required effect, possibly because I unwisely augmented the recipe with several home-grown chillies of previously untested potency. A Niagara of sweat and a beetroot-red face is not what women generally seek in a bed-mate. The best-known aphrodisiac book of modern times is Venus in the Kitchen edited by the author Norman Douglas, mentor of Elizabeth David, who had to leave Britain, in the well-worn phrase, "for the usual reason" (boys). Published in 1952, the 50-odd recipes accumulated during Douglas's exile in Capri range from the mundane (purée of celery) to the wildly exotic (simmered crane). It is a little difficult to lay your hands on sparrows' brains, skink and sow's vulva, though testicles of lamb can be obtained from Turkish supermarkets.

You get four little ones (ask the butcher to remove the membrane) for a little over £1. With a slight shiver, I sliced the testes in half and followed Douglas's recipe, which ironically came from the kitchen of a 16th-century pontiff: gently fry in butter with a pinch of saffron. Add a squeeze of lemon before serving. The unappetising, mousse-like result suggested that Douglas did not actually try out this dish, but the TP bravely had another go. Once they had been cut into strips and coated with breadcrumbs, fried lamb's testicles – a dish known in the US as Rocky Mountain oysters – proved most acceptable. "But not seductive," insisted the TP. "Especially when you know how much cholesterol they contain."

Almost any dish can have aphrodisiac properties in the right circumstances – the TP speaks highly of my Welsh rabbit or, if you prefer, rarebit – though erotic cuisine tends to be on the softish side. When top chefs were asked in the book Don't Try This at Home for "a dish that would seduce someone", the firm favourites were oozy. Tom Aikens suggests a homemade lasagne with "fresh pasta, a great sauce seasoned just right and a great béchamel with parmesan". Antonio Carluccio insists that "everyone would succumb to freshly made tagliolini served with a simple tomato sauce and basil". Diners should eat jointly from a single bowl "just like in The Lady and the Tramp". Rowley Leigh of Le Café Anglais proposes "scrambled eggs with truffles, caviar or sea urchin roe".

Truffles and caviar were ruled out for financial reasons, but we did happen to have a tin of sea urchin roe or, to be precise, ovaries, purchased by some eerie coincidence in the Sicilian honeymoon capital of Taormina. Cooked very slowly by the TP, the scrambled eggs were delicious. "That's because I make the most fabulous scrambled eggs," she pointed out immodestly. To my palate, the tinned slurry was only OK, with about half the potency of the fresh stuff scraped from the spiny shell. The TP was far more taken by this maritime delicacy. "It does something to my head that truffle does," she said. "Quite a sensuous thing." At least it made up for the whelks.

In 1949, the esteemed American food writer MFK Fisher, who devoted much thought to the relationship of food to sex (she once made a male visitor sit for an hour on a sandwich she had made before announcing it was ready to eat), wrote that "one highly expert bachelor-cook in my immediate circle swears by a recipe for breasts of young chicken, poached that morning or the night before, and covered with a dramatic and very lemony sauce made at the last minute in a chafing dish". This looked a sure-fire babe-melter. The sauce sounded simple enough, except Fisher omitted to give a recipe. I guessed that lemon juice flared with brandy would fit the description. The explosion of alcohol fumes was dramatic enough to satisfy the need for showing-off that lurks in most male cooks, but the result was lacking in oomph. "The presentation is rather rough-hewn, like something served up by Desperate Dan," complained the TP. "It needs parsley and a few more itsy-bitsy things. The taste is OK, but I love lemon. Aphrodisiacs should sharpen the senses."

Kind of her to say, of course, but the dish was hopeless in its intended effect. I was after seduction not sympathy.

It was high time to spice things up. Black pepper has long been regarded as conducive to a grind. In the ever-encouraging Kama Sutra, gents are informed that a pepper and honey anointment on their organ will "utterly devastate your lady". Quite. Instead, I procured the legendary Moroccan mixture of spices known as ras-el-hanout ("top of the shop") since it often contains 20 or more spices. According to Paula Wolfert's book Moroccan Cuisine, "The aphrodisiacs (Spanish fly, ash berries, monk's pepper) that appear in most formulae appear to be the reason why the mere mention of this mixture will put a gleam in a Moroccan cook's eye." Fortunately, the sample I obtained from the online suppliers Maroque did not contain the tell-tale blue fragments of the notorious Spanish fly or cantharides. I say fortunately because, contrary to its reputation, Spanish fly is not an aphrodisiac but a potent irritant and poison. The lethal dose is 0.03 grams. A lamb casserole made with the user-friendly version of ras-el-hanout proved to be gently spicy, richly unctuous and wholly delicious, though not notably sexy.

So what dishes did work for us? Heading back through the mists of time, the first meal I made for my wife was a plate of smoked-salmon sandwiches. Though this item does not rate a mention in the library of aphrodisiacs, it did the job OK. Equally efficacious was her first effort for me. Just to check if it still worked, we had another Mongolian hot-pot. This meal has much to recommend it as a form of culinary foreplay. Because you use chop-sticks to fish for various items from a pot of simmering stock (we use a large, cast-iron fondue pot over a methylated spirit burner), there is plenty of scope for gastronomic intimacy. You might steer your companion towards a succulent piece of scallop, while she hands over a juicy prawn. There might be a certain amount of light-hearted competition for a tasty bit of pork or a sugar-snap pea pod. The meal is prolonged but relatively light on the stomach. And, yes, since you ask, the dish has retained its effectiveness.

For pud, I'd be tempted to go for crêpes Suzette, a dish that not only allows the host to indulge in another alcoholic explosion but also relate the (completely spurious) story that the Suzette honoured by this dish was a poule de luxe admired by the Prince of Wales. (The one that became Edward VII.) However, the TP reckons that the dish is too hefty for an amatory supper. I suppose a dessert involving the endorphin blast of chocolate will be close to obligatory for the culinary seduction of modern females, but would-be Lotharios should remember the wise words of Ogden Nash: "Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker." Moreover, a cocktail enables you to start the campaign of attack at a far earlier stage in the evening. Again, it is vital to avoid the obvious. A Knicker Dropper Glory will not get the evening off to a good start. Same goes for Between the Sheets, even though it dates back to the Twenties. Best stick to a Margarita, which also comes with a useful accretion of stories. Sadly, the suggestion that it was originally made for Rita Hayworth is as dubious as the Suzette yarn.

And if romance does not blossom on St Valentine's night, you could bear in mind the advice of Nora Ephron, author of When Harry Met Sally, concerning the appropriate dish when love goes pfft: "In the end, I always want potatoes... Nothing like getting into bed with a bowl of hot mashed potatoes already loaded with butter and methodically adding a thin cold slice of butter to every forkful." If your pash ends in mash, you can start planning your next romantic meal. Forget music, the food of love is food.
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