Edible gold is a delight to amateurs of luxury cuisine all around the world. The biggest consumer is India, with an estimated 12 tons of culinary gold per year. Gold leaf is used to decorate traditional pastries, as well as certain lamb-based delicacies served at weddings and religious festivals. In China, certain types of venison are sprinkled with gold, and in Japan, it is customary to exchange good wishes for the new year over a cup of sake containing gold. Some of the Japan’s finest chefs garnish their best sashimi with fine gold. In Pakistan, gold is sometimes consumed for its supposed aphrodisiac and stimulating properties. In France and Switzerland, renowned chocolatier artisans decorate their truffles, a magical experience for the tastebuds, with fragments of gold leaf.
Gold is safe when ingested, neutral in taste and chemically inert. Both the European Union and the United States authorize the use of gold to decorate food. In the luxury food industry, it is used in the form of powder, leafs, flakes or sprinkles.
What is an edible gold leaf?
Edible gold leaf is a form of gold leaf that is suitable for consumption. Edible gold leaf is mainly used to refine and visually enhance dishes and meals. Is edible gold leaf real gold? Edible gold leaf consists of real gold, processed in several steps to a thin and edible gold foil. By the way, edible gold leaf is labelled and listed in the EU as an official additive with E175.
How is edible gold leaf produced?
The production of edible gold leaf is identical to that of normal gold leaf, which is used to gild objects. First, a gold ingot is worked with a roller until the ingot is only a few millimetres thick. Then, pieces of equal size are punched out of the resulting gold strip and worked with a spring hammer for several hours until the gold leaf has reached a thickness of 125 nanometers, which is 1/8000 millimetres.
Can you eat any gold leaf?
In principle, gold leaf from 22 carats is suitable for consumption. When buying, however, it should be noted whether the edible gold leaf has also been approved and tested by an independent testing institute such as the LGA. What can edible gold leaf be used for? Edible gold leaf is usually used as a decoration for food. However, beverages such as sparkling wine or champagne are also often enhanced with the precious metal.
What does edible gold leaf taste like?
Gold and gold leaf itself produced from it is tasteless, as they are free of any flavouring agents. If gold leaf takes on a taste, it indicates contamination by, for example, another metal such as aluminium and should not be consumed.
Can edible gold leaf deteriorate?
Edible gold leaf always has an expiration date (best before date) listed. However, there is no use-by date for edible gold leaf. This means that gold leaf can still be consumed long after the best before date has expired.
Is edible gold leaf vegan?
The gold leaf offered at Gerstendörfer is free of animal ingredients and therefore vegan. There was also no animal testing of any kind in the development and manufacture of the products.
Can gold be digested?
Provided that gold leaf is consumed, the question can be answered with a “no”. The precious metal leaves the body without further detours and is not digested.
What quantity of gold leaf is suitable for consumption?
There are no precise, scientifically based guidelines on the exact amount of edible gold leaf that can be consumed. However, it is advised to use edible gold leaf only to enhance the appearance of food and not to consume it as a main food.
Where can I buy edible gold leaf?
Edible gold leaf should only be purchased from certified manufacturers or dealers to ensure a pure product. There is a wide selection of edible gold leaf on our website view it here, our Edible Gold Flakes here and Edible Silver Leaf here.
How much does edible gold leaf cost?
The price of edible gold leaf depends on the current, general gold rate. Depending on whether the gold price rises or falls, the price of edible gold leaf also tends to do so.
What happens to the gold when I eat it?
After consumption, the gold leaf makes its way through the digestive tract and is eventually excreted without any digestive process.