Inside Money: Let them eat E175

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Since falling back from its US$1900 per oz high last September, gold is now cheap enough to eat - for celebrities at least - now it's trading in the US$1600 range.

But while the "controversial" Golden Globes gold-flecked pudding has outraged poverty observers, nutritional experts are unconcerned.

Gold as a food additive has a long and illustrious history dating back to the Middle Ages, according to this website.
"While peasants went hungry the rich decorated their lavish banquets with a patina of gold," the Blurtit site claims.

Your average Middle Age elite preferred gold in a meat setting, whereas today the metal is more fashionable as a dessert-enhancer for the wealthy.

"There is also a liqueur called Danziger Goldwasser which is flecked by minute particles of gold leaf suspended in the liquid," Blurtit says. "The liqueur is used the flavour the aptly named souffle Rothschild."

Local examples are hard to come by but rumour has it that in the 1970s Alison Holst did a pineapple, Philly cream cheese muffin, lightly dusted with cornflour and gold dust (optional).

Early editions of the Edmonds 'Sure to Rise' cookbook are also said to contain a gold version of 'Invalid Egg' while the ubiquitous modern Kiwi chef, Richard Tull, is understood to have produced an Otago-influenced take on 'mince on toast', that involves gold-infused lard and Watties tomato sauce.

Interestingly, the underlying ingredients offer more danger to diners than the gold itself, which has been awarded the food additive number E175.

E175 drifts harmlessly through the human digestive system, exiting in the usual form.

Following the glamorous awards ceremony, it is believed Golden Globe organisers will be auctioning off celebrity crap in a bid to alleviate world poverty.