Centennial Eggs - The Stinking Chinese Delicacy

Video: Centennial Eggs - The Stinking Chinese Delicacy

Video: Centennial Eggs - The Stinking Chinese Delicacy
Video: How To Make a Century Egg 2024, November
Centennial Eggs - The Stinking Chinese Delicacy
Centennial Eggs - The Stinking Chinese Delicacy
Anonim

Centennial eggs, also called pidan, centuries-old or millennial eggs, are one of the traditional Chinese delicacies. They are hens or duck eggs canned for several months.

The technology for preserving centennial eggs dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Then a resident of Hunan Province accidentally found duck eggs in quicklime. Today, selected eggs are placed in an alkaline mixture of salt, tea, lime and ash.

The shell of the finished eggs becomes extremely hard. Spots appear on it and it looks as if the egg has really been buried for 100 years. Inside, the protein acquires a dark amber color and looks very much like jelly. It usually has no taste. The yolk is the one that is saturated with a sharp smell and taste. That is why the century-old egg is often on the lists of the most fragrant foods in the world. Some describe its scent as awful, others like it because of it.

Even the biggest fans of centennial eggs in the beginning they need time to get used to their specific taste. They are consumed directly / see the gallery /.

They are usually served as an appetizer, alone or in combination with pickled ginger or tofu. They are also used in konji - a typical dish made from rice porridge and meat. In China, centennial eggs are often sold on the streets, stabbed with a stick.

One of the myths is that in the past, hundred-year-old eggs were marinated in horse urine. This statement is due to the fact that eggs have a slight odor of ammonia. However, this may not be true, as the canning process requires an alkaline environment and the horse's urine is acidic.

Nowadays, many producers of centuries-old eggs shorten the canning process by replacing some of the preservative ingredients lead or zinc oxide, which is extremely harmful to health.

For the most ardent fans of centennial eggs we also offer the recipe for their preparation. For this you will need:

2 tsp black tea, 1/3 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. pine ash, 2 tsp. coal ash, 2 tsp. mixed hearth ash, 1 tsp. lime, clean soil, rice flakes

All products are mixed. An earthenware vessel is half full. The eggs are rubbed into the rice husks and placed in the soil. The top is covered with the rest of it. The container is stored in a dark and well-ventilated place for about three months.

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