HYDERABAD: Over the past few years, edible gold has become a trend. From biryani to burgers, dusting gold or using gold flakes in food is something that chefs around the globe have embraced. This trend has made its way to Hyderabad as well and many look forward to trying out edible gold.
But this isn’t the first time the city has heard of the precious metal being used in cuisines. Anuradha Reddy, convenor of INTACH Hyderabad, says metals like silver and gold, and pearl dust have been used to decorate food for decades in Hyderabad. “Silver vark has been used in the past, especially on mithais and pans,” she says. She recalls that until a few years ago, an entire lane beside Mecca Masjid was filled with people who would hammer silver and turn it into foils, which would be used for food decoration.
Gold foil-decorated food was available in the past too, but at high prices and were bought only for special occasions. Gold was also used for its medicinal properties, as it could destroy bacteria, strengthen the body and improve immunity, she says.
This age-old tradition has now become a fashion statement in the food industry and modern Hyderabad is welcoming it with open arms. In the city, there are two such stores which sell food that are decorated with edible gold — Huber and Holly and House of Dosas. These have brought in a craze for edible gold among Hyderabadis.
“All that glitters may not always be gold, but in our case it’s tough to argue otherwise. Our Mighty Midas is an exotic dessert which comes wrapped in a 24-carat gold foil with edible gold flakes. The ice-cream comes with 17 different toppings, including Belgium chocolate ice-cream, chocolate truffle balls, caramelised rocher balls, raspberry rose sorbet macaroon, waffle dipped in golden pearls and gooey brownie,” says Satheesh Kumar, the operation manager at Huber and Holly.
The ice-cream is made-to-order and everything for it is made in-house by the company. “The challenge was to make the ice-cream premium. We are so fond of desserts, but we hardly have any homegrown brand that has premium or luxury offerings in the segment. We thought of playing it up with this ice-cream and making it the best that the market can offer,” says Gayatri Chona, founder of Huber and Holly.
On the other hand, Abhiram Mitta, founder of House of Dosas, tells CE about what inspired his gold dosa, also known as 916 KDM dosa. “Using gold in cuisines is not new, it has been a part of my culture (Kadappa) for a long time. The idea was to add a hint of native feeling to the dishes and that is why the gold leaves, which are used for decoration, are brought in from my native place.”
The idea was to bring a homely essence, for which Abhiram also uses his mother’s dosa recipes. This special variety dosa is stuffed with dry fruits and is served with two-three varieties of podi, Bombay chutney, green chili paste chutney, red chili paste chutney, fried dry fruits and ghee.