Egg

Alternate meaning: Egg, Switzerland.

The biology of eggs is different from their use in cooking.

Table of contents

1 Eggs in Cooking
2 Eggs as Decoration
3 External links

Eggs in Cooking

Bird and fish eggs are common food sources. Fish eggs are known as roe or caviar.

The most commonly-used bird eggs are those from the chicken, duck and goose, but smaller eggs such as quail eggs are occasionally used as a gourmet ingredient, as are the largest bird eggs, from ostriches. Eggs are frequently used in both sweet and savoury dishes as a source of protein and/or to bind the other ingredients in a recipe together. Sometimes the whole egg is cooked together. Sometimes the egg yolk is used separately from the egg white.

Many who practice vegetarianism feel it is acceptable to eat eggs as the bird which lays the eggs is not killed. People concerned about animal welfare are reluctant to eat battery eggs as factory farming is considered cruel. Even free range eggs are sometimes unacceptable to those who are concerned about animal welfare as it is felt that alleged free range birds may not be much better off than battery birds.

Chicken's eggs

The primary cooking techniques for eggs are:

Eggs may also be pickled, hard-boiled and refrigerated, or eaten raw, though the latter is not recommended for people who may be susceptible to salmonella, such as the old, the infirm or pregnant women.

When eggs become rotten, the yolk will turn green and the egg will emit a sulphurous smell when broken. Although deemed offensive by most Western palates, fermented eggs are considered a delicacy by some in China, when prepared using a special method which includes letting them sit for three months to age (or rot, depending on one's interpretation).

Eggs as Decoration

Ukrainian Easter eggs

FabergÃÂÃÂ© eggs are much prized collectors' items. Carl FabergÃÂÃÂ© was the favourite jeweller of many European Royal houses, including the Romanovs of Russia.
Easter eggs, also known as Pace eggs, are an ancient symbol of spring and the beginning of new life. They figure in egg hunts, egg rolling contests and egg-tapping.
Egg decorating is a craft which has become much more popular in recent years.