SC - gold leaf

[Mark Harris]

Derdriu asks:

>Now, to create another topic -- Has anyone tried using gold (or silver) leaf
>to decorate foods?  Beyond potential toxicity and cost, what other factors
>have lead to the lack of experimentation?  I want to try this, but first
>decided to see if anyone else has tested the waters.

There was a discussion about this on the Rialto just before this mail list
started. I placed several of these messages in this file in the FOOD section
of my SCA Rialto Files:

sotelties-msg     (72K)  5/21/97    Sotelties and Warners - decorated food.

As for price and other information on working with gold leaf, you might
find some of this info in this file in the SCRIBAL ARTS section:

gold-leaf-msg     (18K)  3/ 7/96    Working with gold leaf, tools.

My files can be found at:
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/rialto/rialto.html

I have pasted two of the messages about gold foil being edible below.

Stefan li Rous
markh at risc.sps.mot.com

===========================
From: dwbutler at mtu.edu (Daniel W. Butler-Ehle)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Rosewater
Date: 24 Mar 1997 19:22:39 -0500
Organization: Michigan Technological University

RMorrisson (rmorrisson at aol.com) wrote:

: I now get it from a upscale grocery/deli sort of place near where I now
: live ($2.69 for 3 oz) but thanks to whoever mentioned Indian/Pakistani
: groceries -- there are two down in the center of town and that gives me
: yet ANOTHER reason to stick my nose in them sometime (the first being
: looking for edible gold leaf).

I have never heard of "edible gold leaf".  For food decoration, such 
as gilding a ham or a soup or whatever, I just use the same sheets of 
of leaf as I do for illumination and furniture.  I would, however, 
advise against using imitation leaf in something you plan to ingest.
Let me know if you find such an item, and please share any information 
on its use, sounds interesting.

Ulfin
Principality of Northshield, MK


From: david.razler at worldnet.att.net (David M. Razler)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: edible gold leaf, was Re: Rosewater
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 1997 18:33:44 GMT

rmorrisson at aol.com (RMorrisson) wrote:

| I now get it from a upscale grocery/deli sort of place near where I now
| live ($2.69 for 3 oz) but thanks to whoever mentioned Indian/Pakistani
| groceries -- there are two down in the center of town and that gives me
| yet ANOTHER reason to stick my nose in them sometime (the first being
| looking for edible gold leaf).
| Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon

All 100% 24 ct. real gold leaf prepared properly in the traditional manner
*should* be edible, as it is simply a lump of gold bashed thin between sheets
of waxed paper with a wooden mallet.

The *should* is there only because of the risk of 1) a modern process being
used in which petroleum byproducts could theoretically be used to grease the
wheels of an automated press and 2) an unscrupulous dealer/maker might
adulterate said leaf with lead, though this should show up in the appearance.

What you are doing when you add gold leaf to a clear cordial or onto some
food
is adding a tiny amount of 100% pure gold, which, for lack of aqua regia
within the human digestive system passes through and ends up as minute traces
of gold in one's feces. Oh, a few atoms here or there might get stuck
somewhere in the system, but given the weight of the leaf and the frequency
with which most of us eat it, I wouldn't worry about heavy metal toxicity in
*this* case.

                david/Aleksandr

David M. Razler
david.razler at worldnet.att.net
=====================