- Gordon Dumoulin
Eggs are not just eggs in China...
๐๐จ๐จ๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฆ๐จ๐จ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ข... ๐๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐จ๐จ ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ต
Ever tasted or heard about following eggs sold at the market booth ?
ๅธ่ (xiรกn dร n) or '๐๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐ฒ๐ด๐ด๐'. Salt-preserved eggs, commonly put in savory porridge.
็ฎ่ (pรญ dร n) or '๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฒ๐ด๐ด๐'. Originally covered and preserved in a mixture of clay, ash, salt and quicklime, removing oxygen for preservation. The egg white turns into a transparent brownish jello-like substance while the egg yolk turns gray to black. The century eggs are great with fresh tofu or a salad as a cold dish or in a hot porridge.
ๆฏ่ (mรกo dร n) or '๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ด๐ด๐', also called ๆซ่ (mรฒ dร n) 'end-stage egg' are usually called balut in English (derived from the Filipino language). Balut is as well popular,especially in the Philippines but also in Vietnam and some other South-East Asian countries, believed to have been brought by Chinese immigrants in older times.
Baluts are fertilized developing duck or chicken egg embryos that are boiled and eaten from the shell. The length of incubation before the egg is cooked is a matter of local preference, but generally ranges between 14 and 21 days.
Apart from the special prepared eggs and 'regular' chicken eggs in different qualities; quail, duck and goose eggs are available.
Also '๐๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐ฒ๐ด๐ด๐' ่ถๅถ่ ('tea leaf egg') are usually available; the skin of boiled eggs are slightly cracked and then boiled again in tea or a soup of spices. Tea eggs are also known as marble eggs because the cracks in the shell create dark lines with marble-like patterns on the boiled egg white. Tea eggs are often enjoyed as breakfast or a snack.
Eggs are a vital ingredient in the various Chinese cuisines with delicious recipes and preparations. Maybe China's most basic dish is stir fried tomatoes with scrambled eggs (็ช่็่). Egg drop soup (่่ฑๆนฏ) is common all over China with whisked eggs dropped in a hot broth. Leek-egg dumplings are renowned among traditional dumpling fillings. Practically each cuisine and region in China has their own variations of steamed egg, omelette, stir fried or boiled egg dishes along with vegetables, meat, tofu or seafood ingredients.
