May 3.2019
The story
The century egg was first introduced hundreds of years ago during the Ming Dynasty in China. A farmer found duck eggs preserved in a muddy pool of water and slaked lime. After tasting and being amazed, he created a proper recipe called the “Thousand-year eggs or millennium eggs.” Do not worry; you do not have to wait that long to have a taste of it! The actual process only takes few weeks to a month at most by soaking duck, quail or chicken eggs in a saline solution transforming the whites into a dark colored jelly. After that process, you get a creamy, cheese-like texture and dark-coloured egg with a unique, amazing taste.
Challenged by the look?
At the first glance, you may feel a little scared and give up as the eggs look darks, ugly and even gooey and green. But do you remember the look of the famous blue cheese? Its looks and smell terribly, but no one can resist to the taste! The century egg is ready to eat. In Vietnam, you can enjoy it for breakfast with a congee (a thin soup or porridge of rice and water) or as an appetizer with pickled ginger, curd, picked vegetables, spring onion, and tofu.
Traditionally in old time, the eggs were pickled in brine and then buried in a mixture of coals, chalk, mud and alkaline clay. Today be aware that some companies in Asia use chemical process and sometimes toxic chemicals to expedite the egg-festering process…
