Varak is a thin sheet of pure silver used for decoration in Indian sweets and pastries. It is edible but tasteless, and ingesting large amounts can cause a cosmetic disorder. It is made by hammering silver into paper-backed aluminum sheets and must be handled gently. Vegetarians may avoid it due to the production process. Varak can be stored indefinitely in a cool, dry place. It is not easy to find outside of India.
Varak, which is sometimes also spelled “vark” and “varakh”, is a product that is used in Indian cuisine to garnish sweets and pastries. It is an incredibly thin sheet of very pure silver. The use of varak is entirely decorative. While the silver used to make the garnish is edible, it is mostly tasteless. Ingesting large amounts of silver can cause argyria, which is a cosmetic disorder in which the skin becomes discolored, with a gray or bluish hue. It takes huge amounts of varak, however, to create this ailment and because such a small amount is used in confectionery, it is generally considered safe in normal amounts.
The product is created by hammering silver into very thin paper-backed aluminum sheets. It must be handled gently as even a light touch can cause cracking and crumbling. Although it is supposed to be made of at least 99.9 percent silver, which is still purer than sterling silver, different types of varak have been found to be much less pure, mixed with other types of metals such as aluminum or even cadmium. Many vegetarians believe that varak is not suitable for their diet because the silver foil production process is assumed to include the use of animal products.
To apply varak to food, it must be placed on top of the sweets or sweets while still attached to the paper that supports it. Then, you can remove the card. This process allows the varak to fill the food properly without being touched by hand, which, as described above, can render the product unusable. This process also needs to be done with care in order to ensure that the incredibly thin coating of silver is transferred onto the cakes correctly.
Since it is made of metal, varak can be stored indefinitely. Of course, it’s important to keep the papers in a cool, dry place to make sure the silver doesn’t apply and that the papers it’s being held between don’t bend with moisture or develop mildew. Varak which is found in Indian markets is not easy to find in Eastern markets. Outside of India, special order or even hand made may be required.
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