Does Silvel foil have Expiry Date?

Hi All!
I have 10 years old Silver foil.Can I use it for wrapping chapatties.
Since no expiry date is writtem there.Is it Harmful for health?

Dear nini82,

Actually the silver foils today available in the market is of not good variety and to sell it economically viable, vendors started using Alumina as an alternate and the same being used in many food products.

The usage of this inferior foils not only spoils health and also create many problems as side effects.

History of Silver foil and how it is being manufactured :

Silver Foil (Varak): normally used on Indian sweets, fruits and paan, it is made by beating silver sheets between fresh cow and buffalo intestines while they are still warm. Microscopic examinations show fragments of intestines embedded in the foil.

Original silver foils are having a life span of 20 years maximum and at the same time the vegetarians normally doesnot prefer to eat the same as it is being used to manufatured with animal's intestines.

Read this article which was written earlier in an another site by me..

Something that we all should know of.......... ....

A couple of years ago, Indian Airlines, the domestic air-carrier of India had issued instructions to its suppliers to supply sweet without silverfoil called VARAKH.

Do you know why?

Silver is widely used for various
purposes in the market today.

Silver is considered precious and its utility is enormous.

The reason behind this is that silver reflects back 95% of the light energy that falls on it.

The silver foils used for edible purposes is called " VARAKH "

So what's so special about VARAKH?

This is what I would like to bring to your notice.

If you keenly observe this VARAKH under a microscope don't be perturbed if you happen to see traces of blood, stools and saliva of a cattle or ox.

VARAKH is a silver foil and we have no second questions on this,but to prepare this VARAKH important parts of the CATTLE/OX is made use of.

Intestines of Cattle/OX are obtained from the slaughterhouse.

This is obtained after butchering to death the cattle/ox for beef and the part, which cannot be consumed: the intestines are pulled out of the animal and handed over to the manufacturers of VARAKH.

Before handing over the intestines, they are washed in the slaughterhouse to get rid of the blood and other remains on these intestines in the limited facility that is present in the slaughterhouse.

We are not sure how neatly this job is carried out.

Intestines are cut into small pieces and then are bound together as pages in a notebook.

A silver block is placed in the middle of these bound intestines, and the whole thing is placed in a leather bag and sealed.

Experts, who know how to make VARAKH, pound the bag with wooden sticks, till the entire bag flattens out.

The silver block would by this time be
turned into silver foil.

This Silver foil would now be separated
from the intestine pack and will be placed on paper.

This is VARAKH, which reaches the market ready for use.
Even staunch vegetarians, who shy away from egg, unknowingly consume this as a part of sweet, pan and arecanut.

Some unknowingly consume this because of the additional taste that VARAKH provides.

Now the question is:
"Why the intestines of the cattle/ox?
Why not something else?"

The reason behind using the intestines of the cattle/ox for preparing the VARAKH is because of the elasticity of the intestines.

They do not get cut even after a severe pounding.

This aspect is brought out in the Magazine
"Beauty without cruelty" and the Television show of Maneka Gandhi, "Heads and Tails".

In India, on an average an estimate indicates that 2,75,000 kilos of "VARAKH" is consumed.

Can you estimate how many cattle/ox are sacrificed for just a bit of taste?

If you are surprised as I am, after reading this article please inform as many as possible so as to ensure that we unknowingly don't consume beef.

Of late, even this process has become costly, some scruplus elements started manufacturing silver leaves from Alumina di-oxide, which is still more dangerous to health .

So next time in sweets No More Silver Leaves...Please...
May God Almighty Bless You With Health, Happiness and Prosperity Always.

Cya......Subbu

Originally Posted by nini82

Hi All!
I have 10 years old Silver foil.Can I use it for wrapping chapatties.
Since no expiry date is writtem there.Is it Harmful for health?

NINI,

If you mean the aluminium foil. i think itwould have discoloration by 10 years. i think you should not use it for wrapping food. my opinion..

Thanks for the information on Silver foil, 'VARAK', Subbu Sir.
after reading this article in a magazine, years before, i hate sweets with that. Even my children and my husband are avoiding the same after they came to know about it.
Sriniketan

Dear Subbu,

Thanks for bringing this know how about Varakh. I remember, many years ago, I hunted everywhere in Germany to find this varakh. I felt real proud when I dressed my sweets with it and served...it sure looked extra delicious and very presentable. Thank God that it was not easily available for me.
Sad that the origins of many food items we consume is unknown to us.
I had read about this piece of info on varakh sometime back, but was nice to refresh the memory. Also, it is good that many IL'ites will get to read it and become aware.

L, Kamla

Hi srinekatan,

I also have read the article..and here subbusir has brought it back again..good for il members. but do you think nini is asking about varak, if she is talking about wrapping chappatis ..I am confused..am i wrong in interpreting the question in the first place...

Dear Shanvy,

I think you are right, the original poster was asking about aluminium foil...she would not be wrapping chapathis in varakh!! As she called it silver foil, it can be misunderstood.
As for Nini...if it is 10 years old and if you are in doubt, may as well discard it.

L, Kamla

this information is very gud... i used to hate varakh for the quality now a days is avaliable... but was not knowing the original fact of making it...
thnks subbu sir..
i hope reading this article... consumption of this just to deco item will be less in use...
its always gud to share this kind of information which we think less no people aware of..

have a happy life all of u ..