@dthelmers surely it must change the taste a wee bit? I am all for trying it, don´t get me wrong - well, when I get better at cheesemaking that is - where can you locate such flakes? I´ve seen these in vodka now that I think about it.
Anyways, I just find it.....quite sad I guess. If it doesn´t alter the taste then it just becomes useless and flash, and that is not something I generally try to go for! I´d rather buy or make better cheese with that money.
maybe that´s just me....
Here's where you can get it:
http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Gold-Germany-25-3-3-square/dp/B000YHG7WEThis is food grade, but I doubt there is any difference between this and what we use in sign shops, but the price is the same, anyway. When they describe this as "paper thin", that's not quite getting the picture across. It's so thin that you can blow on a sheet and it will sail around in the air. It's too thin to pick up, so we use a brush called a gilders tip to pick up the square, then lay it down on a sheet of suede and cut it into shape with a wooden knife, then lift the cut pieces with the gilder's tip. Or for large areas, carefully roll it out of the book. A little bit goes a long way when decorating, and it sticks to everything. Even a roast chicken drumstick; wish I'd taken a photo! This is certainly a novelty item, sold simply for conspicuous consumption, but that tradition goes back through the middle ages to ancient Rome. It might be cute to do something like this for a special celebration, like a 50th wedding anniversary. Or maybe make a brick cheese and gild it.
As for taste, I can't taste gold. I suspect that is true for most people, hence its popularity in dental work.
If you're near a sign shop that carves signs, or a framing shop that does gilded frames, you may be able to buy their little scraps.