Table Of ContentEGGS
Edible Series Editor: Andrew F. Smith is a revolutionary series of books
EDIBLE
dedicated to food and drink that explores the rich history of cuisine. Each book
reveals the global history and culture of one type of food or beverage.
Already published Apple Erika Janik Barbecue Jonathan Deutsch and Megan
J. Elias Beef Lorna Piatti-Farnell Beer Gavin D. Smith
Bread William Rubel Cake Nicola Humble Caviar Nichola
Fletcher Champagne Becky Sue Epstein Cheese Andrew
Dalby Chocolate Sarah Moss and Alexander Badenoch
Cocktails Joseph M. Carlin Curry Colleen Taylor Sen Dates
Nawal Nasrallah Eggs Diane Toops Game Paula Young Lee
Gin Lesley Jacobs Solmonson Hamburger Andrew F. Smith
Herbs Gary Allen Hot Dog Bruce Kraig Ice Cream Laura B.
Weiss Lemon Toby Sonneman Lobster Elisabeth Townsend
Milk Hannah Velten Mushroom Cynthia D. Bertelsen Nuts
Ken Albala Offal Nina Edwards Olive Fabrizia Lanza
Oranges Clarissa Hyman Pancake Ken Albala Pie Janet
Clarkson Pineapple Kaori O’ Connor Pizza Carol Helstosky
Pork Katharine M. Rogers Potato Andrew F. Smith Rum
Richard Foss Salmon Nicolaas Mink Sandwich Bee Wilson
Soup Janet Clarkson Spices Fred Czarra Tea Helen Saberi
Whiskey Kevin R. Kosar Wine Marc Millon
Eggs
A Global History
Diane Toops
REAKTION BOOKS
For my son Phillip and my grandson Templar Toops Published by Reaktion Books Ltd
33 Great Sutton Street
London EC1V 0DX, UK
www.reaktionbooks.co.uk
First published 2014
Copyright © Diane Toops 2014
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the publishers Page references in the Photo Acknowledgements and
Index match the printed edition of this book.
Printed and bound in China
by Toppan Printing Co. Ltd A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library eISBN: 9781780233116
Contents
Introduction: Walking on Eggs
1 What Is More Perfect than an Egg?
2 The History of Eggs
3 No Eggs, No Cuisine
4 Eggs in American Cuisine
5 Bringing Eggs to Market; or, Handle with Care
6 Which Came First – the Chicken or the Egg?
7 Hatching the World from an Egg
Recipes
References
Select Bibliography
Associations and Websites
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Introduction: Walking on Eggs
A day without an argument is like an egg without salt.
Angela Carter
Fascination with the perfect symmetry, beauty, functionality and mysterious
symbolism of the egg has existed since time immemorial. It represents the
beginning of time, a source of life, wisdom, strength, vitality, procreation, death
and Christ’s reincarnation, bound together by tales of the creation of the world
and man from an egg, summed up in the Latin proverb omne vivum ec ovo (all
life comes from the egg). In legendary accounts it is often an egg that floats on
water and is the source of all things. The American folklorist Zora Neale
Hurston (1891–1960) succinctly declared, ‘The present was an egg laid by the
past that had the future inside its shell.’ One notable image of the egg as a source
of all things is an eighteenth-century engraving of an alchemist trying to get
wisdom and knowledge, or ‘that Elixir by which wonders are performed’, out of
the egg-shaped philosopher’s stone, demonstrating the reverence in which the
egg was held. Although he used both fire and sword, he did not annihilate the
egg completely, so that it could grow and receive new life.
The Philosopher’s Egg, or the egg as the source of all things, 18th century, engraving.
‘To the Chinese, the egg is more than a versatile food’, according to chef
Martin Yan.
It’s an important cultural symbol, thought to embody not only the
beginning of the life cycle, but also the wholeness of yin (white
represents bright, male energy and heaven) and yang (yolk represents
dark, female energy and earth) held together in a circle (shell represents
creation). The joining of yin and yang creates a balance of wisdom, truth,
purity, propriety and kindness, making the egg the ‘food of five virtues’.1
However, it is not only the mystery of the egg’s connection to our universe
that captivates us; it is the magical qualities it brings to cooking. ‘You begin
with a slippery, runny liquid, do nothing more than add heat, and presto: The
liquid rapidly stiffens into a solid that you can cut with a knife,’ writes food
scientist Harold McGee.2 ‘No other ingredient is as readily and drastically
transformed as is the egg.’
For some an egg is just an egg, an all-natural, delicious, inexpensive, protein-
rich food that can be eaten alone or used as an ingredient in a recipe, and the
chances are that one is readily available in your refrigerator. There is no doubt
that an egg is truly the most valuable player in the home kitchen. Even the most
cooking impaired can use eggs to provide sustenance for their family for
breakfast, lunch or dinner, or as a snack. Not surprisingly, 94 per cent of all
households in the United States use eggs, averaging 33 eggs per month, or 396
each year per household. According to a 2011 Mintel survey, regular white eggs
are most popular with 88 per cent of respondents, brown eggs are favoured by 27
per cent, organic eggs are the first choice of 27 per cent and 14 per cent prefer
free-range eggs. But 30 per cent eat fewer eggs than they once did because of
concerns about cholesterol, and 57 per cent do not believe that organic eggs are
any healthier than regular eggs.
Eggs Benedict: eggs transformed from raw to poached, and to an ingredient in hollandaise sauce.
Description:Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In Hindu scripture, the world began as an egg. Laid by a swan floating on the waters of chaos, after a year the egg split into silver and gold halves, with the silver becoming the earth and the gold transforming into the sky. Throughout history, the egg has
