Of course, you can eat physical metals!
People eat crazy things all the time.
In every culture mealtimes are an opportunity to gather physically, to share feelings, and to display status.
Food is not a usual topic for Goldcore but this week we move the discussion out of the vault and into the kitchen.
Humans have been cooking with physical metals for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians ate gold.
To be fair, it’s likely the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs ate gold, and unlikely for Egyptian slaves; something which of course underlies the roles of food and gold in conveying status within a culture. On that front not much changed.
Gold: Not Just Beauty But Also Edible
Since 2017 the internet has been excited about Chef Nusret Gokce.
Going by the social media name Salt Bae he has been cooking with physical gold and serving it to restaurant-goers at his chain of steak shops.
The homepage for his chain of eight steakhouse locations is linked here. Because the meal is visually appealing and because consuming gold is a great status marker the metaverse cannot get enough vicarious consumption of Salt Bae’s meals.
This Youtube video about his gold-covered steaks and meats has been viewed a million times in two years.
We guess that everyone chooses to identify with the Pharaohs as wealthy consumers.
Although flashiness sells food on the high street, home bakers in cul de sacs are now baking and cooking with silver and gold to increase their status at home.
Two great websites have recipe books focused on meals to which physical metals are central. This one has visually stunning photos of the finished meals. And this one has plenty of silver recipes alongside the golden ones…be sure to check out RICE WITH BLACK SQUID INK AND SILVER.
Shaving fine grams from your Goldcore purchased silver bars or gold bullion can be difficult to do.
New use for physical metals
Most Chefs are buying physical metals in ready-to-eat amounts from specialty suppliers selling gold and silver in food preparation ready packages.
Here is a link to Goldchef’s online shop a company that ships around the world. Since imitation is a form of flattery we should note that home Chefs are now copying the Salt Bae procedures in their own kitchens with the result uploaded to YouTube, of course.
If sugars and carbohydrates are bad for the human body, what about silver and gold?
Well, the gold leaf does not add any taste to foods. Regular readers already know that gold is chemically inert.
This means it will pass harmlessly through the human digestive system without being absorbed by the stomach into the bloodstream.
Silver is also safe to eat so long as you avoid the ions of silver.
As a historical reminder, we will note that silver powders have been poured on open wounds to reduce infection for centuries.
Plus, the word ‘silverware’ recalls that utensils made from silver were the safest choice since the metal has antiviral properties.
Sailors would drop silver coins into bottles of milk before refrigeration was invented because then silver would stop milk from souring during long journeys.
There are no known data sources reporting on the amount of gold or silver consumed each year by humans eating food.
There are also no known figures of how many ounces of each metal are recovered annually at greywater treatment facilities.
Rest assured that the amounts are too small to measure today.
So, unless Salt Bae sparks a huge global phenomenon the prices for gold and silver are unlikely to rise on this ‘new’ use for physical metals in gastronomy. Bon Appetit!
Buy gold coins and bars and store them in the safest vaults in Switzerland, London or Singapore with GoldCore.
Learn why Switzerland remains a safe-haven jurisdiction for owning precious metals. Access Our Most Popular Guide, the Essential Guide to Storing Gold in Switzerland here
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