[Sca-cooks] Mood Indigo

[Pixel, Goddess and Queen]

> A number of Near and Middle Eastern historical recipes call for food colored 
> with indigo.
>
> For example, in the Book of the Description of Familiar Food is a recipe for 
> spiced salt - Milh Mutayyab. Besides including a fairly long list of spices, 
> it can be colored:
> Red: Sumac juice
> Yellow: Saffron, or water in which thyme has been steeped.
> Green: Chard water
> Blue: water in which a little indigo has been steeped.
>
> Also, one dish includes as a garnish pistachios colored blue with indigo.
>
> Would a small amount of indigo-colored seasonings or garnishes be safe to 
> eat?
>
> Anahita

I've tried to find an answer, but haven't gotten a useful one yet. Indigo 
in its non-reduced form (i.e., blue) is chemically inert, but that doesn't 
mean that it's not toxic. But it's pretty powerful stuff, and a little 
goes a long way. That said, I haven't had the nerve to try it yet. ;-)

Margaret FitzWilliam