Can You Eat Gold? - Is It Safe?

Lately, you must have seen videos online of how the rich portray themselves eating gold on some of the most expensive dishes you can think of, burgers or steak covered in gold.

In 2019, a football star of Bayern Munich, Frank Ribery was heavily criticized for spending too much money to just enjoy a piece of steal covered in gold for the whopping price of £1000.

This matter has also been viral in one particular restaurant in Dubai owned by Gokce Nusret or more so known as Salt Bae. The people who saw it for the first time might be in awe at seeing gold that is commonly used as jewelry but instead used as food.

In fact, some of us might be questioning whether the outside layer was even gold in the first place or something that was made to look like gold. If pure gold was used, then is it safe for you to eat it?

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The History Of Gold Being Used As Food

Despite seeing that gold is being used as a garnish and considered something new, it has long been practiced since the times of ancient Chinese, Japanese, and even Egyptians. Not just that, gold was also consumed by the ancient Romans and has gotten a special dish after it in well-known palaces during the Renaissance age.

One should take note that gold has no taste to it and merely becomes the aesthetic of the overall dish. The sparkling gold has been a sign of wealth and has been very useful to attract the attention of the people around.

You might not see it in the typical restaurant you go to, but this layer of gold has been decorating wedding cakes and a garnish for posh restaurants with the Michelin Star rating worldwide.

Its Use As Of Today

The use of gold in food is wide today considering that it is easily accessible and not limited to only the elites. However, it is still can only be enjoyed by the rich seeing that the price is very expensive.

In fact, dishes that mainly go together with this layer of gold will be sushi, burrito, chicken wings, pizza, donuts, pasta, and many more. Despite it being quite absurd, those who did enjoy it thought that it was a unique and unforgettable experience for them.

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Is Gold Safe To Be Eaten?

Going back to the main question of this article, the short answer to this will be yes, it can be eaten. But there are several things to take note of first before consuming them.

Gold is an element that will not produce any chemical reaction with other elements. This means that when gold goes into our bodies, it will not react chemically with any substances in our bodies. But this is only true if it was pure gold.

Because of that, when you eat gold in small amounts, it will be removed from the body in the same form that it went in. In other words, eating gold will not give you any special benefits whatsoever.

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The Standard Gold That Can Be Consumed

If you really feel that you want that sparkling gold experience in your meal, you have to make sure that the gold being used reaches a certain quality and standards. The gold that is mostly used as jewelry contains many other elements that have been mixed together with the gold.

This will cause toxic effects on your body once consumed. The gold that is commonly used in dishes with be the 23 and 24-carat standard. This means that the gold must comprise 90% pure gold elements whereas the remaining 10% must also be pure metal elements such as silver.

Then again, not all silver is safe for consumption. This is because silver can be in the form of ionic and non-ionic. The non-ionic silver will be the non-active form of silver and it will not be absorbed in the body making it safe to be eaten.

Most individuals enjoy dishes covered in gold simply to try out this unique experience for themselves. However as stated above, the price can be overwhelming for some, and be sure that you have the cash to even try it.

Avoid the dishes that might be far too cheap as fear of it contain other elements that might not be safe for you to eat.

Source:

• The Independent

• Slate

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