Also known as:
Vark, varak, waraq
Description:
Varq is the thin silver layer seen on most commercially available Indian sweets. This edible silver has no taste of its own. It is used purely as a garnish and to add glitter to the particular sweet. Some sweet stalls have been known to notoriously use a cheaper alternative - aluminium
Commonly used in:
Indian sweets, paan and chyavanprash
Health benefit:
Varq is generally considered safe to use but ingesting large quantities of silver is said to cause argyria