!#7# The Business of Gold - Why Do We Eat it? | !8: Where To Buy Leaf Sweeper

!±8± The Business of Gold - Why Do We Eat it?

What is the craze?

A craze for dishes adorned with edible gold ('Food Bling') is sweeping top restaurants around the world. Edible gold is mainly used for its lustre and look. Gold leaf is only about.07 micrometers thick and is usually 23-carat. The only physical sensation associated with eating gold is the subtlest crunch; it does not even taste metallic. So if it does not have any impact on the taste, why eat it? The answer relates to the metal's metaphorical content. Eating gold is about self-image, allowing one to impress others.

What is the difference between 'normal' gold leaf and 'edible gold'?

Pure gold leaf is 24-carat. In its pure state it is very soft and delicate and is therefore mixed with other alloys to create different levels of hardness and to adjust the colour tone. That is why most jewellery is 18- or 22-carat gold (mixed with other metals); 24-carat is too soft for daily wear and tear. The same principle holds for gold leaf. If mixed with copper, silver, etc., one can get a wide variety of colours ranging from a slight reddish tone, to bright yellow, to white gold. The alloys mixed in to create these variances are not edible (like copper). Edible gold (mainly 23-carat) is almost pure gold but mixed with silver only, which is edible, so it is completely digestible.

When did we first start eating gold?

It is reported that the ancient Egyptians had discovered that by eating powdered gold one could become immortal. In the Middle Ages the rich decorated their lavish banquets with a patina of gold. Roast birds and other meat dishes were wrapped in thin gold leaf as a display of wealth. Alchemists of the 15th century used gold medicinally. Sweets covered in edible gold were served during afternoon meals 'to sustain healthy hearts'. The Elizabethans created sumptuous banquets by sprinkling gold dust on oranges, grapes, pomegranates, dates and figs. In the 16th century Italian Dukes and Earls used to decorate their risotto with edible gold leaves. In Japan edible gold has been added to foods (and to sake) for centuries.

In what form can you find it?

Edible gold sheets, flakes or sprinkles can be found in gourmet shops. As they are feather-light they are used on sweet and savoury food or floated in drinks. In Japan you can buy coffee and other drinks whereby 'gold leafs' (approximately 100th of a millimetre) float on the surface carrying messages like "Happy Birthday", "Be my Valentine", etc.

Gold adds an impressive touch to chocolates, soups, sushi and a host of other foods. Top quality food producers have successfully marketed edible gold in the following forms:

· Gold-wrapped popcorn

· Marmalade with gold particles

· Chocolates flecked with gold leaf

· Gold-sprinkled caviar and oysters

· Chicken dishes topped with gold leaf

· Soup containing gold-covered quails' eggs

· Sprinkled on cakes, cookies, nougat and petit fours

· Liqueurs flecked with minute particles of gold leaf suspended in the fluid

How safe is it?

Pure gold is an inert metal. It is not absorbed into the bloodstream and it passes through the body as none of the chemicals in the human digestive system are able to break it down. It does not appear to react with anything and is unaffected by moisture, oxygen and ordinary acids. Edible gold passes out of the body after about 24 hours unchanged. Generally speaking, there appears to be no danger in ingesting pure gold and it is in fact a permissible food colouring with its own e-number. One of the reasons why dentists use it for fillings, caps, crowns, etc., is because it is biologically inert.

In fact eating gold has long been considered to have health benefits. New-age gurus claim that eating gold improves mental capacities and helps regenerate deficient organs. A recently published brochure for a new champagne states "it is currently advised for nervous weakness, breakdowns and against fears and frustrations".

What is the cost?

A hotel in the Middle East reportedly served 11 pounds of edible gold to its guests in 2008 - to the tune of 0,000. Then there are ,000 bagels with white truffle cream cheese and golden leaves, ,000 chocolate sundaes covered in 23-carat gold-infused whipped cream, etc. Edible gold is certainly the most expensive food product in the world and it looks like it is here to stay.