The art of cooking

Starting in the 6th and 7th century lapis lazuli was discovered to be a most effective blue pigment for painting and sculpting.

During the Renaissance, the semi-precious stone was hard to come by, so artists saved their lapis for special occasions. For a time, only the robes of the Virgin Mary, and baby Christ were painted in the lush blue, called ultramarine.

To keep from the tedious task of grinding the rock to fine powder for every session, artists began mixing the dust with egg whites, creating tempera. The tempera stored well, and preserved the stone's natural ultramarine color.

Do you think I could make an immaculate omelet?