Olive oil producer Myst has developed a new virgin olive oil infused with 24 karat gold.
Each bottle of Myst Gold is based on Myst’s gourmet olive oil and contains 500ml of extra virgin olive oil, infused with edible gold flakes.
Although the company is based in Stockholm, the olive oil is organically cultivated in the historic olive groves of Mount Olympus, in central Greece.
Myst’s extra virgin olive oil contains aromas of herbs, citrus fruits and floral hints while being exceptionally balanced, the company said. The product has a shelf-life of two years.
“Our extra virgin olive oil is produced first by the method of cold extraction at low temperatures under closely monitored hygienic conditions,” Myst explained. “We stayed true to the words ‘extra virgin’ by steering away from using any chemical fertilisers or pesticides at any stage of the production.”
Produced entirely from the pierias olive variety, it has a fruity flavour and superb aroma with an acidity of between 0.2% and 0.5%.
The novel innovation continues a longstanding tradition of including edible gold in food and drink, which, Myst pointed out, extends as far back as Ancient Egyptian society, where gold was believed to possess legendary powers that contribute to a long and vital life.
More recently, spirits companies have used edible gold to develop gold-infused vodka and gold-infused liqueurs.
Often, the ingredient is used by brands to make a product more collectable.
But Myst’s reasons for producing an olive oil infused with gold flakes were more down-to-earth: it said it wanted to emphasise the point that olive oil is ‘liquid gold’ and highlight the premium quality of Myst Pure olive oil.
Customers will have to part with quite a lot of their own gold to get it: available to pre-order now from Myst’s website, and with delivery expected later this month, each 50cl bottle costs $69.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024