This summer I attended a shadi in LA . My SIL made some mithai at home and put some chandi kay warq on that mithai.
It looked fabulous. They got those chandi kay waraq from Pakistan. But I was thinking that with so much food contamination/milwat going on in Paksitan is it possible that those warqs are made of real silver ?
How do you know they are real chani k warq and not made of Aluminum ? Do they sell silver leaf in West and use them to decorate food ?
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
you know Mirch, I have often heard about those silver things in Pakistan … never got a chance to eat them yet .. but I am keen on asking , isnt eating Silver a food hazard? does it get digested? Due to its heavy properties , can it cause kidney stones? 
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
do you guys mean that "foil" thats placed on top of kheer? My mother used to add that to kheer sometimes.....but I haven't had it in yeras....
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
is that thing , really made of silver? if not , what is it made up of?
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
do you guys mean that "foil" thats placed on top of kheer? My mother used to add that to kheer sometimes.....but I haven't had it in yeras....
Yep
is that thing , really made of silver? if not , what is it made up of?
That is the real question. I will let someone google and provide information as to it is hazardous in any way to consume food with chandi k waraq on them.
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
I think its just best to avoid it.
http://indiacurrents.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=b8b860cc0946bef1dbe95caddfe4bcaa
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
During my childhood when my mother used to cook channay ki daal ka halwa she used to put these chandi kay warq on it. During that time they were really pure one but still would be hazardous thing then.
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
This summer I attended a shadi in LA . My SIL made some mithai at home and put some chandi kay warq on that mithai. It looked fabulous. They got those chandi kay waraq from Pakistan. But I was thinking that with so much food contamination/milwat going on in Paksitan is it possible that those warqs are made of real silver ? How do you know they are real chani k warq and not made of Aluminum ? Do they sell silver leaf in West and use them to decorate food ?
This is similar to dragees which are used to decorate cakes and other confectioneries. I believe they are made of similar ingredients and they just don't feel right to eat.
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
Beach, thanks for the article , Silver foil just didnt sound normal to me ... I have seen it on sweets , never actually got to taste it ... but the whole idea of consuming strange chemicals just sounds wrong ...
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
Thank you BO for very informative link. I will avoid and tell others to avoid chandi ka waraq on any mithai or dessert.
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
i have been eating the warq since i was a kid on every other desi mithai etc...! i am stil alive :D yay...
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
Vark, Varak or Varakh (Hindi: वरख) (IPA: [vərk]](Help:IPA - Wikipedia)) is a foil of very pure silver and is used for garnishing Indian sweets. The silver is edible, though flavorless. Large quantities of ingested elemental silver can cause argyria, but the use of varakh is not considered harmful to the body, since the quantities involved in normal use are minuscule.[1]](Vark - Wikipedia) This however is only true as long as the foil contains only high purity silver. One study has found that about 10 % of the foils found in Indian market were made of Aluminium. Of the tested foils, 46% of the samples were found to have the desired purity requirement of 99.9% silver, whereas the rest of the 54% were substandard with some even containing Cadmium [1]](Taylor & Francis - Fostering human progress through knowledge).
Vark is made by pounding silver into a sheet a few micrometres thick, and backed with paper for support; this paper is peeled away before use. It is extremely brittle and breaks into smaller pieces if touched. Vark sheets are laid or rolled over Indian sweets made from dates, nuts and various fruit and vegetable based rolls or sheet candies.
Vegetarian lobbyists claim that vark is hammered between animal fat or hide and is thus a non-vegetarian product. However, there are certain vegeterian options of vark available in markets.
^^thats what wiki says…so once in a while is ok to eat i guess…! atleast am planning on some besan ka halwa with the warq on for iftar 
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
they say that buy it from hakeems they use it in medicines also so they have the pure one and adding up more there are gold ones also made of gold but that are damn expensive hakeems also use them in medicines .
and in india there is a CHAMANPARASH i think in which they use gold silver good for body so once in a while a little tinny piece don't hurts and by the way it has no taste at all but is good for decorations.
Re: Chandi kay waraq/ silver leaf
is it vailble any shop in london