Gold is a nice precious metal and has a number of applications. Pure gold is bright yellow, soft, and dense in appearance. Nowadays, gold is widely common in jewelry, utensils, and medicines. Moreover, gold is also used as decor in several foods to make them astonishing and pretty looking. And, if you don’t try such foods, you may think, what does gold taste like?
In past years, people of different regions used gold in their food dishes because they think that gold has divine effects. In ancient times in Egypt, people used gold as decor in several beverages. Moreover, they also use it as garnishing in their food. Therefore, many people have queries about the taste of edible gold.
So, here in this article, I will answer your questions related to edible gold. And, the answer may surprise you, so read this article to know the real and amazing gold facts. Let’s move on.
What Does Gold Taste Like?
You may surprise to know that gold has no taste. In fact, gold is a tasteless and flavorless metal. So, gold does not alter the overall flavor of the dish. Instead, it has slight and delicate texture that is not so noticeable.
The foods that contain gold such as sweet treats, cocktails, or alcoholic drinks use pure gold which is inert. All edible inert or noble metals are tasteless. The fact is that such inert metals have no soluble particle to react to your taste buds, so you feel no gold flavor.
Edible gold only adds a royal finish to recipes and looks so pretty and astonishing. It makes the meal so memorable and rare and expensive at the same time. Although edible gold has no taste or flavor, it is pure and thus expensive too.
You must use pure gold (24 carat) in your recipes, as it is safe to eat. On the other hand, edible gold having impurities may cause health disorders. So, be careful in that way.
Why Put It In Food Items, If Gold Has No Taste?
You may think that if gold has no taste, then why do people put it in food. Actually, edible gold adds no flavor to your dishes, but it makes them royal and pretty special. It adds a lot of glitter and a royal look to your food by giving a glamorous touch to recipes.
In ancient times, the addition of gold to food was the symbol of honor and wealth. Therefore, people add it to food dishes for garnishing or decorating purposes. Interestingly, they use them in sweet as well as savory recipes to make them just out of the world.
Nowadays, gold leaf, flakes, sheets, and dust are popular in restaurants as they add edible gold to fast food and several other special treats. It provides a luxurious feeling for consumers.
Forms of Edible Gold
Edible gold comes in a number of different varieties and shapes. Therefore, you may choose any form that goes great in your favorite food items. So, know here that what kind of gold goes in what type of recipes.
Generally, edible gold comes in gold leaf sheets, dust, flakes, and petals. Moreover, it comes in different shapes and sizes. So, use gold in your food not for taste but luxury.
Leaf Sheets
These are very thin, loose, and delicate sheets of pure gold. These are so delicate that one needs to be very careful while handling them. In fact, professional chefs handle them with particular sets of equipment for proper placing and wrapping.
These edible gold sheets are available in two distinct forms, the loose leaf and transfer leaf. Loose leaf is better to use as small pieces for the decoration of cookies, cupcakes, and desserts.
On the other hand, transfer leaf is the best choice for the entire wrapping of food such as cakes or truffles. By the way, it also goes great as a glamorous wrapping of sushi.
Dust
Gold dust is a fine powder of gold particles that is a great shining addition to food. It adds no taste and texture to food but a lot of sparkling glitter.
It goes great for the decoration of candies, cookies, coffee, and cupcakes. So, make your delicious creations worthy and special.
Flakes
They are slightly larger in size than edible gold dust but of random sizes and shapes. They have wide applications both in cooking and crafts.
Gold flakes are pretty common in beverages and wines as décor. Moreover, they also go great as garnishing in ice creams, cupcakes, chocolates, and desserts.
Besides this, edible gold also comes in a variety of different shapes that you can use in your food more creatively and wonderfully.
Read also: Why Is Salmon Expensive ?
Is It Safe To Eat Gold?
Edible gold or pure gold is totally safe to eat as it has no side effects. As we know, gold is an inert metal so your body is unable to digest and absorb it. Therefore, gold passes your digestive system as it and thus doesn’t pose any side effects.
And, at the same time, gold has no net nutritional values and health benefits. So, we can say that edible gold is neither good nor bad to eat. The main purpose of using gold in food is to make the dish sparkle and shine.
By the way, if gold is not pure or has impurities or other metals, it may harm you. So, only use pure gold in your recipes. However, 22 or 23 carat gold is also safe to consume.
Why Is Edible Gold So Expensive?
At the same time, where edible gold adds a sparkling touch to your food, it also raises the price of that particular food. In fact, foods with edible gold are too worthy and expensive in contrast to other food items.
As the edible gold is pure gold, so it is expensive to buy. You may skip gold as décor in your recipes as it just adds a pretty look to your food but not flavor, texture, and nutrition.
However, if you order luxurious food with edible gold from top restaurants, they will charge more. And, if you buy gold dust or flakes from a superstore or any other market, it may be somewhat cheaper. By the way, you can also order it online.
So, if you really want to use gold in your food for special events, it costs high because gold is a precious, expensive, and noble metal to buy.
Read also: Is Celery Leaves Edible ?
Final Words
What does gold taste like? Gold is tasteless and flavorless edible metal having too delicate and slight texture. Therefore, it adds no flavor and nutrition to your food. In addition, it is also safe to eat and has no health side effects.
The only purpose of using gold in food recipes is to add an astonishing look. Gold adds a royal finish to your sweet as well as savory food items that look so pretty and appetizing.
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