Culinary traditions all over the world carry with them hidden meanings and logic that are sacred to locals. Many of these are celebrated in the international scenario while many are met with amusing looks. Eating with our hands for instance is an Indian tradition that is not very common in the western world and is often met with amused looks and questioning stares. A similar food tradition that comes from Thai and Lao cultures is of a dark brown egg known as a 100-year-old egg or century egg. These eggs are said to be preserved in a particular mix of quicklime, alkaline salt, clay, ash, and other ingredients for weeks or months depending on the method of processing.
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This unique delicacy is quite a common feature of Asian cuisine and is often paired as a side dish with ramen, tofu, and other sauces. Wondering what it tastes like? A food content creator describes the interesting texture and taste of the eggs; she says the egg whites are dark brown and gelatinous while the egg yolk is dark green and creamy. What is interesting is that the eggshell is still an off-white shade and does not lose its colour while the insides of the eggs do. Surrounded by many myths regarding its discovery and origin, the century eggs are a fascinating find that we did not know of until recently. Want to know more about it? Take a look at the video:
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For viewers who did not know of this delicacy, it was an amusing discovery. Some of the comments left on the video by people who are as amused by this delicacy as we are, were: “Am I the only one in these comments that didn’t know this was a thing”, “So what is it actually been sitting there for ages? Like how is it black I’m a little bit lost”, “I always wonder how it tastes and whether it smells because of its colour”, “I wonder who came up with the idea to eat a 100-year-old egg”, “Yay! I’ve always wondered how these taste, I don’t feel so scared to try now!”
However, for the people of the Lao, Thai, and other communities, it was a common sight and they left comments explaining and engaging with others who were unaware of the 100-year-old egg.
Some of the comments explaining these eggs in detail were, “Just for those really wondering, century eggs don’t really take centuries and aren’t really a hundred years old. The process of preserving them only takes months, usually using duck eggs… but they taste 100 times better than they look” and “They’re not very old. They’re cured for weeks/months.”
Suggestions to eat these eggs in different ways started pouring in and gave us a sneak into how diverse and delicious Asian cuisine can be if you are willing to experiment a little. Some of the suggestions were – “With porridge is definitely the best way to eat century eggs!!”, “I love it! I eat it with rice, soy sauce, kimchi, and seaweed!” and “You have to try this with silken tofu!!! Soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and garlic with some green onions and spicy chili oil…super delicious”
The world is filled with many unknown and unique delicacies and culinary traditions like these. Did you know of the 100-year-old egg before? Let us know in the comments below.
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