When edible gold first paced into the international kitchens as the most exuberant garnish its appearance was saluted as something unique and fresh. As the matter of fact the idea of edible gold was not alien nor new at all.
The chronicles of Marco Polo, the explorer and discoverer who traveled to Asia and Japan in particular a good 700 hundred years ago, described Japan as a country of gold (“Zipang, the country of gold”). Marco Polo met the Japanese who used gold in its various shapes and forms in absolutely disparate walks of life and craftsmanships. The application of gold ran the gamut from fine jewelry to furniture, kitchenware and lacquerware.
Certain prefectures in Japan back then specialized in making embellished bottles of sake, and the gold flakes and gold leaves that would cover the glass were actually placed inside the bottles. Those precious bottles of sake were offered to the high society clientele, and were drunk during special occasions.
Except for sake the edible gold was widely used in tea ceremonies. A sprinkle of gold flakes would be added on top of the tea in each cup. These days the tea has been replaced with coffee. Gold cappuccinos can be found in a number of posh placed around the world, and, obviously, all around Instagram.
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