Edible gold
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Edible gold is a particular type of
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
authorized by the European Union and the United States as a
food additive Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance taste, appearance, or other sensory qualities. Some additives have been used for centuries as part of an effort to preserve food, for example vinegar (pickling), salt (salt ...
, under the
code In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...
. It is used in the
haute cuisine ''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. ''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by the meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food at a high pri ...
in a gastronomical trend towards extravagant meals. It can be employed in foods and beverages such as in cookies decoration,
wines Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
or
liquors Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard ...
; as
sushi is a Japanese cuisine, Japanese dish of prepared , usually with some sugar and salt, accompanied by a variety of , such as seafood, often raw, and vegetables. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely, but the one key ingredient is " ...
garnishment; or over
ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...
. There are neither negative effects nor benefits from eating gold since it is biologically inert, and it is suitable for use in food since it does not
oxidize Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a d ...
or
corrode Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...
in moist air, unlike many other metals.


Technical specifications and production

Edible gold must fulfill the specifications from the applicable food safety standards. It has to be pure, to avoid any type of infections or perils for the body. Gold usually undergoes one of these processes: it could be hammered, or pounded and rolled, or just a leaf or powder. In the first case, the gold needs to reach the measure of about 1/8000 of a millimeter thick, in the second one it could be used as a normal leaf (the measure depends on the purpose) or smashed in powder.


History

Edible gold has been used since ancient times and can be found in many regions of the world and in different ages. The earliest evidence of the use of edible gold is among the ancient Egyptians, almost 5000 years ago, where the use of gold was well-known in many fields. The Egyptians used the gold for mental, bodily and spiritual purification because they believed it to have divine effects. The alchemists of
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
developed various medicines and elixirs with drinkable gold, which they believed restored and rejuvenated the body. It is believed that
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler.She was also a ...
had body treatments with gold every night, such as having baths with gold and using a face mask of pure gold. Ancient Egyptians were not the only ones to use gold as a decorative food and beverage garnish; it could also be found in the eastern countries such as Japan, China and India, mostly for medicine as made by court physicians. Edible gold was famous among the courts of the kings of European countries in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
, implemented as food decoration and as symbol of extreme luxury and prestige among
vassals A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...
and
courtiers A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official r ...
. Ancient court physicians believed that gold helped with
arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...
and other body problems such as sore limbs. During the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
,
Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. He w ...
(1493–1541) – considered the founder of the modern
pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...
– developed a variety of medicines using few quantities of edible gold in the form of pills or gold powder. From the Modern age – and until the twentieth century – gold was associated with medicines. It was common to find the application of some piece of gold in articulated and expensive drugs, using little pills or powder inside the medicine, or as a supplement for food to refill
minerals In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...
in the human body.


Health effects

Gold is a particularly non-reactive element and is not absorbed during the digestion process, so it is safe to eat. However, there are no nutritional or health benefits associated with its consumption. Purity of edible gold must be 23–24
karat The fineness of a precious metal object (coin, bar, jewelry, etc.) represents the weight of ''fine metal'' therein, in proportion to the total weight which includes alloying base metals and any impurities. Alloy metals are added to increase hardn ...
s, above that used in typical jewelry, which may contain other metals and can be toxic if consumed. The effects and safety of E-175 were first evaluated back in 1975 and recently re-evaluated in 2016 by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) when using the metal as an
additive Additive may refer to: Mathematics * Additive function, a function in number theory * Additive map, a function that preserves the addition operation * Additive set-functionn see Sigma additivity * Additive category, a preadditive category with f ...
or
food coloring Food coloring, or color additive, is any dye, pigment, or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or drink. They come in many forms consisting of liquids, powders, gels, and pastes. Food coloring is used in both commercial food ...
. The agency has authorized the use of gold as food additive at
quantum satis Quantum satis (abbreviation q.s. or Q.S.) is a Latin term meaning the amount which is enough. It has its origins as a quantity specification in medicine and pharmacology, where a similar term ''quantum sufficit'' ("as much as is sufficient") has b ...
in the external coating of confectionery, decoration of
chocolates Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civil ...
and in liqueurs. Nevertheless, it states that:


Production

Worldwide there are several manufacturers specialized in the production of edible gold. In Italy, for example, Giusto Manetti Battiloro S.p.A. produces gold and silver leaf for both cuisine and beauty purposes; in the UK, one of the biggest suppliers of edible gold and silver is Conneisseur Gold with a customer range from major supermarket chains, Christmas pudding manufactures, distillers,
Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...
-starred restaurants, food distributors, specialist cake makers, cosmetic companies and individuals (for home use). CornucAupia is one of the famous distributors in the US, with a supply chain that begins and ends in North America in order to guarantee purity along the way. In the Asian market, Horikin Ltd is the pioneer of
gold leaf Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 µm thick) by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. The most commonly used gold is 22-kara ...
in Japan, where there is a strong cultural use of gold in
tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...
. There are several manufacturers in Germany, such as Goldmarie and Gold Gourmet and the Swiss DeLafée. The main buyers of edible gold are luxurious restaurants that want to provide an effect of wealth on their food and a new experience to their customers. The most well known restaurants that include in their menu some dishes with gold are based in Dubai, Malta, New York, Washington, D.C. and London. However, the trend has started spreading even in little restaurants. Edible gold sheets, flakes or powder can be easily found in the online market as well.


Practical details of the applications

Edible gold can be used in mainly three different shapes to garnish foods and beverages: leaf-shaped, in flakes or in powder. Among the dishes and beverages in which edible gold is implemented there are cakes and sweet desserts, soups, pastas, risottos, sushi, cocktails and wines. Since it is used as tasteless garnish, edible gold is usually the ingredient at the top of the dish at direct contact with food. In most of the recipes requiring gold in flakes or dust, it is usually dabbed with a knife or sprinkled on the top. Gold is added during the bottling of wines and liqueurs and it is generally mixed during cocktails' preparation. More recently, gold leaves have been used to garnish steak and hamburgers: Hard Rock Café's "24-Karat Gold Leaf Steak Burger" was sold in USA for $7 extra than the one without the metallic garnish.
Salt Bae Nusret Gökçe (; born 1983), nicknamed Salt Bae, is a Turkish butcher, chef, food entertainer and restaurateur whose technique for preparing and seasoning meat became an Internet meme in January 2017. He owns Nusr-Et, a chain of luxury steak ho ...
, the chef owner of the Nusr-Et restaurants chain, includes in his menu a steak entirely covered by gold, sold at €650 in
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.


In consumer culture

Spread through
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
has been linked with rising demand for edible gold in the 21st century. As a consequence,
conspicuous consumption In sociology and in economics, the term conspicuous consumption describes and explains the consumer practice of buying and using goods of a higher quality, price, or in greater quantity than practical. In 1899, the sociologist Thorstein Veblen co ...
of luxury became the driver of edible gold consumption and its dissemination in almost every region of the world today. Started as a viral phenomenon in Dubai, a proliferation of restaurants and pastries using edible gold in their recipes reached more countries and more popular and accessible cafés and restaurants. Symbolism is the pivotal feature of edible gold consumption, since it is exclusively an aesthetic garnish. By decorating food with gold, chefs aim to provide a dish that can be quickly recognized as luxurious and extravagant, elevating their status to a "culinary artist". The importance of the artistic value of a dish decorated with gold gains relevance in the contemporary society due to the general prioritization of sight over the rest of the senses, thus influencing even the culinary environment. Edible gold is considered luxurious because it is rare in the ever-competitive arena of fine dining, even though its spread is reaching more and more regions of the world. Furthermore, the visual impact of a golden – and edible – dish gives it an artistic, precious, and extravagant aura that is what mainly attract consumers. In addition to its physical characteristic – its shiny and sunny color – gold embodies several social values – especially the displaying of social power – that are extremely relevant from earlier eras. Nowadays, many chefs are including edible gold in their restaurants' offer, among them: " Nusr-Et Steakhouse", Dubai; "
Serendipity 3 Serendipity 3, often written Serendipity III, is a restaurant located at 225 East 60th Street, between Second and Third avenues in New York City, founded by Calvin L Holt Patch Caradine and Stephen Bruce in 1954. It also served as a boutique that ...
", New York; "Margo's Pizzeria", Malta; "
Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and rol ...
", New York, Times Square; "Il Marchesino", Milan.


References

{{reflist Gold Food additives