Egg

The oval-shaped reproductive body of birds. Long before Christianity, the Hebrews, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans and others used eggs on occasions of pomp and ceremony. To them, the egg symbolized the universe and was presented to their gods as an offering. The outer shell represented the limitless sky, the inner layer of skin the air, the white of the egg the waters and the yolk the earth. At one time, in ancient Rome, it was forbidden to eat eggs; the egg was regarded as a potential chicken and therefore too valuable to be eaten. Fortunately, the Romans eventually discarded their proscription and enjoyed eggs with everything from rose petals to fowl's brain. Starting early in the Christian era, the symbol of coloring eggs at Easter meant that the salvation of the world was bought with the blood of Christ. In the 9th century, the church banned the eating of eggs during Lent, during which time the eggs were collected and decorated and saved until Easter.

The consumer who pays a premium for a certain color of shell is wasting money. The color of the shell is in no way related to quality of the egg. Nor do brown eggs have darker yolks, as many people believe. The color of the yolk is influenced chiefly, if not entirely, by feed. Egg producers usually feed sufficient grains to give a yolk a medium intensity of color; if not, the yolk will be dark and watery. Most egg experts insist that newly laid eggs are the hardest to peel, so you can take comfort in the fact that your eggs are fresh if you struggle with the shell. When separating eggs, make sure that the egg whites are free of fat. If there is any egg yolk in the whites, they will not beat to the maximum volume. Also note that egg whites whip better at room temperature.

The egg white, also called albumen, is the thick, clear liquid surrounding the yolk. It contains about half of the protein in the egg and a large amount of water. The egg yolk is the yellow orb of liquid in the center of the egg, which contains the balance of the protein, much less water and a large amount of fat. It is also highly nutritious because it contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B12, C, D and E; calcium; folate; and iron.

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