A gargantuan feast of naughtiness, Seduction! contains everything you need to know about sexual temptation and enticement. From Eve and the Apple, Sirens, Sarah Palin, Casanova to James Bond. Plus Nigella's seductive cuisine and tips for an evening you won't forget!

Seduction begins in the opening pages of the Bible with the corruption of Eve in the Garden of Eden by the Serpent. She in turn seduces Adam and persuades him to eat the Forbidden Fruit. Food has always been a key ingredient in seduction as Nigella Lawson knows only too well. More on food seduction and Nigella later!

Literature and the Arts are full of male seducers and from Don Juan through to James Bond the seduction of women has proved a popular theme throughout history.

In the real world seduction is a constant source of fascination to the media and plays an important part in public life and, in particular politics. The urge to seduce women is a key driving force in many male politicians.

Seduction by Men

Perhaps this is because politicians, more than any other profession, seek to exert power and influence and the urge to seduce women may be due to the male politician's unusually high alpha-male drive.

Seduction and resulting affairs often play a key part in the downfall of politicians - You need look no further than the Kennedy Dynasty or Bill Clinton and the famous dress of Monica Lewinsky.

How different history might have been if Monica had visited the dry cleaners or Bill had taken less interest in cigars.

It also leaves us with the interesting question of who really seduces who? Often it is the male seducer who looses power and influence as a result of his exploits while the woman apparently seduced gains influence, money or power.

Perhaps motive is the key. Men primarily seduce women in order to conquer and achieve sexual gratification while woman are more likely to seduce men in order to gain other benefits beside sexual pleasure. While male seducers have their brains firmly in their trousers, perhaps woman have broader motives than just the desire for instant sexual pleasure.

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt (1725–1798) was perhaps the most famous seducer in history and a Venetian adventurer, intellectual and author.

His name remains synonymous with the art of seduction and he is sometimes called "the world's greatest lover". He was something of a celebrity in his day, mixing with European royalty, popes and cardinals, along with contempories Voltaire, Goethe and Mozart.

He entered the University of Padua at twelve and graduated at seventeen, with a degree in law. Casanova had also studied moral philosophy, chemistry, and mathematics, and was keenly interested in medicine. While attending the university, Casanova began to gamble and quickly got into debt.

Back in Venice, Casanova began a career as a lawyer. He soon acquired an elderly patron, a senator, who moved in the best circles and taught young Casanova a great deal about good food and wine, and how to behave in society. When Casanova was caught dallying with his patron’s intended object of seduction, actress Teresa Imer, however, the senator drove both of them from his house.

Casanova’s growing interest in women led to his first sexual encounter with two sisters Naneeta and Maria Savorgnan, then only fourteen and sixteen. So began a life of gambling, drinking and debauchery and the pursuit of countless women of all ages and classes.

The reason Casanova is so well known to this day, is that he was forced to spend some years as a librarian in the household of Count Waldstein of Bohemia where boredom drove him to write his autobiography.

Seduction by Women

In Greek mythology, the Sirens lived on an Island and lured fishermen to their deaths, drawn by their incredible beauty and unearthly music. The fishermen once hooked were unable to resist their call and they and their vessels were smashed to pieces on the rocky coastline.

Queen Cleopatra of Egypt first seduced Mark Anthony and later the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar by sending him a gift of a carpet. When the carpet was unrolled Caesar found an unexpected 'extra' inside in the shape of the beguiling Cleopatra.

Women have often been deployed in espionage as 'Honey Traps'. In other words, to extract state secrets from men. One of the most famous spy-seducers was Mata Hari. She was a famous exotic dancer who spoke several languages. Mata moved in high society in France and had many lovers in the military and diplomatic circles. During the First World War she was accused of spying for Germany and was executed.

The tradition of woman as seducers of men is a key theme in the movie genre of Film Noir. Typical Femme Fatales featured include Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth and Lana Turner, each ensnaring their lovers in bonds of irresistible desire.

Sarah Palin and the Republican Party

Finally, Alaskan Goveror Sarah Palin proved an unexpectedly powerful pick in St Paul, seducing traditional Republicans with her powerful mix of homely wisdom, 'Hockey Mom' and beauty queen, gun-totting good looks. Although the Snow Queen didn't make it to Washington she certainly added a little zest to the Presidential race.

A perfect contemporary example of the use of food in seduction is offered by Nigella Lawson, well-known TV Chef from the UK. Nigella delights TV viewers around the globe with her sensual cooking and curvaceous good looks.

For many, particularly men, the climax of the show is not the progress of Nigella's cullinary preparation or the actual cooking of the food but the sight of the lovely Nigella consuming the fruit of her labours for the benefit of the camera.

Delicious Nigella bewitches the nation with her succulent sauces, sizzling casseroles and wickedly syrupy puddings. The sight of all those oozing juices and rising souffles is stimulating enough. But when Nigella succumbs to her own tasty delights and wraps her tongue deftly around an exotic vegetable tip or dreamily sucks creamy dessert from her fingers it is all too much. The pans of a nation boil over in an orgy of gastronomic lust.

Seduction can be downright bad when it leads to blackmail, brings down governments or steals someone else's partner. However, as Nigella ably demonstrates, it can also be relatively innocent and fun when used to promote cook books or invigorate an existing relationship.

So why not let food liven up your love-life and seduce your partner with an erotic meal to remember. If you can cook then why not take Nigella's culinary approach to its logical conclusion?

Make sure you're home an hour or two before your partner and prepare a suitable meal. Ideally something you can finish off cooking with your partner watching. If you're not a confident cook, then you can always fall back on a takeaway or take the love of your life to a cosy restaurant.

Make sure the planned meal isn't too filling or heavy. Also limit the amount of alcohol involved. Remember you want your partner to be wide awake at the end of the meal!

Don't forget to Prepare Yourself

You are an intimate part of this meal and just as you peel the vegetables and wash them so you should prepare yourself. So take a leisurely shower or soak for a while in an aromatic refreshing bath. If you are a girl then dig out some special underwear and, depending on his tastes, some stockings or other turn ons.

Remember that In cooking, preparation and presentation are all important.

If you take him to a restaurant then you can always tease him by hinting at what you are wearing and watch his desire increase during the seemingly long wait between courses. With the restaurant scenario, depending on your mood, you might suggest skipping the sweet and offer yourself as dessert. You can amuse yourself by seeing just how quickly he can get the waiter over with the bill and whisk you home.

If you're eating in, once the main course is finished, you have a choice:

• Discretely reveal your underwear and present yourself as the pudding
• Serve up a fruity and seductive sweet

Why not have only one serving and feed yourself and your partner alternate spoonfuls adding a few choice kisses and caresses between mouthfuls?

Make sure your lover sees you eating and alternatively nibble, suck and lick until they loose interest in food and the only thing they desire is you! Finally, don't forget to serve your special dish (you) really hot and leave the coffee until later!