More and more couples are reportedly turning to a hugely-hyped fetish known as 'sitophilia', in a bid to spice up their sex lives - literally.
According to some startled sex and relationship experts, this hot new trend sees partners incorporating foods into their throes of passion.
'Sitophilia' refers to a desire to fulfil sexual fantasies that hinge largely upon eating and drinking, the Sexual Health Alliance explains.
Sometimes nicknamed 'food play', or 'sploshing', the most conventional variation of this saucy practice sees couples lathering themselves in non-bodily fluids. Their partner might then lick off said sauce in an intimate, drawn-out fashion.
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As fetishes go, it's regarded by many 'sexperts' as a pretty common one.
According to a survey of 2,000 Brits conducted by online supermarket Ocado, over a third of sexually-active Brits - 34 percent, to be exact - rely on food play to intensify intimate moments with their partners.
In the run-up to Valentine's Day, they saw phallic-shaped foods and sticky sauces flying off the shelves, including ridge cucumber (up 178 percent on the previous week), honey (up 509 percent) and coconut oil (up 599 percent).
According to sexual therapist Courtney Boyer, who spoke to Metro recently, sitophilia is an 'accessible, low-barrier, playful' way of taking things to a new level between the sheets, adding: "You don’t need special equipment, and it can feel less intimidating than impact play or restraint.
"It’s got great 'dip your toe in' energy."
Sitophilia pops up in more mainstream films than you might realise. In 50 Shades of Grey, for example, the central couple eat ice cream off one another's writhing bodies, whilst actress Ali Larter sported a whipped cream bikini for the pleasure of her partner in Varsity Blues.
'But where exactly did sitophilia originate?', I hear you ask.
Boyer explained: "Food and eroticism have been intertwined for thousands of years. Ancient cultures, including the Greeks and Romans, linked feasting, pleasure, and sexuality in both ritual and social life.
"Indulgence was sensory and communal. Look at the evidence in art: reclining bodies, grapes, wine, honey."
She added: "While food play was never a named historical kink, the pairing of taste, touch, and desire demonstrates that humans have long eroticised what nourishes us."
It is this stimulation of our senses, the expert says, that builds up pleasure in so many sitophilia part-takers.
"Taste, smell, texture, anticipation, gratification - it’s primal," Boyer continues. "Feeding and being fed can feel intimate, nurturing, even power-infused depending on the dynamic.
"Throw in taboo (food 'not meant' for sex), messiness, and sensory overload, and it can heighten vulnerability and presence in the body."
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Food and Drink, Real Life, True Life, Life
Rhianna Benson