Now, we come to the egg. These days, we mostly think of chicken eggs. In Asian markets, duck eggs are often more popular. Duck and goose eggs are more rich in flavor than chicken eggs, but are not much different. The ancient Romans preferred peacock eggs. From ostrich to plover and the egg of every bird in between, this ingredient has provided flavor and nutrition for mankind. Just a few generations ago, turkey and guinea fowl eggs were popular. Even today, although not as commonly served as they once were, quail eggs are considered a gourmet specialty.
Birds are not the only creatures that provide us with eggs. Fish roe (eggs) are among the finest foods known to man. Caviar comes from sturgeon, an ancient fish, the rarity of which demands extremely high prices for its roe. Even a few generations ago, sturgeon was so common that caviar was given away free in bars so that its saltiness would encourage drinkers to buy more drinks! Fortunately, conservation measures and fish farming are helping the sturgeon make a slow comeback. Just as tasty, although different in flavor, are salmon and trout roe. These are preserved with salt, just like caviar and are very nice. The streams are stocked with trout where I live, so I have the opportunity to preserve my own roe and use it quite often. Shad roe was commonly sold in cans when I was a child. Due to environmental regulations, if you want shad roe now you usually have to catch the fish yourself. Shad are in the herring family and run upstream to spawn late winter into early spring. I try to go shad fishing every year, saving the roe and smoking the fish for later months. Interestingly, the now hated carp, was encouraged by our government to be raised as both a meat and roe fish in the early 1900s. Mr. Herter said that carp roe was among the finest. He also enjoyed the roe of sunfish such as bass, bluegill and crappie - I agree! Shad roe is often cooked in “sets”, the membrane in which the eggs are contained is left intact, with the eggs inside, and fried in butter. Most other fish roe is removed and salt cured or eaten fresh.
Crab, lobster and sea urchin roe are considered true delicacies. The roe of most saltwater fish can be eaten but a few, such as barracuda, are poisonous. The eggs of both sea and land turtles were loved by our ancestors. It is absolutely illegal to harvest sea turtles now. The alligator snapping turtle is also off limits. The common snapping turtle, which was absolutely beloved in turtle soup until only a few decades ago, when American tastes turned to processed and fast foods, was traditionally served with the eggs.
One interesting egg that few people even know about is that of the snail. When British and western European immigrants settled the Americas, they often brought with them snails. Depending on the region, these may be the turban snails served in French restaurants as escargot, or even the common brown snail. Later, giant African snails were farm raised and canned as a commercial product. These are snails; they have shells. They are absolutely NOT slugs, which have no shell. Snails are, essentially, like clams that adapted to live on land (major simplification, I know). Snails are very clean animals that eat fresh vegetation. I tried snail farming for a while and will certainly do it again when opportunity presents. Snails are delicious, very productive and very sensitive to environmental conditions. They lay thousands of small, white eggs that are just like fish roe… except, they taste like mushrooms! There are a few people raising snails for their eggs and making a caviar from them. If more people knew how easy it is to raise snails as a small backyard livestock, and just how good snails taste, I think more people would become snail farmers - this is livestock you could raise in a small apartment and feed on your vegetable scraps!
There is a saying that, “Eggs love eggs.” Combining bird eggs with fish roe has long been considered a delicacy. An omelet or a soft boiled quail egg, topped with caviar is a classic presentation. The favorite breakfast of my childhood was hot, buttered grits, served with a soft scrambled egg and shad roe.
They also say that each person only has one favorite way to eat eggs. Unfortunately, in this era of fast food breakfast sandwiches, too many people grow up eating only rubbery, flavorless eggs that are anything but fresh. Eggs should always be fresh. The eggs from a naturally raised, backyard hen, that can roam about in the sun, eating all sorts of grass, weeds and bugs will have a richer, orange yolk, a better aroma and far better flavor than a “factory raised” chicken.
I am not sure that I have just one favorite, though. I love soft scrambled eggs cooked in bacon grease and butter. My regular breakfast is an egg cocotte - an egg in a buttered ramekin, with fresh herbs or maybe some leftover salmon and asparagus, cheese, or tomato, gently simmered until just firm but still custardy. I love omelets, especially with a soft, flavorful cheese like chevre, blue, brie or Camembert and a few herbs. I enjoy all manner of frittatas and quiches. Deviled eggs are at least a weekly staple. My mother and my grandfather preferred either eggs fried hard or hard boiled. My grandfather liked his hard boiled eggs either with salt and pepper or pickled My mother prefers hers in egg salad or as deviled eggs. My aunts vary from eggs medium fried to “over easy”, which is an egg fried on one side only, with the yolk still intact and runny.
As you may have surmised, I like my eggs in ways that many folks would consider to be under-cooked. These days, the “experts” demand that eggs be thoroughly cooked, and even pasteurized, to prevent salmonella poisoning. Again, I will not contradict the experts. But, it is well worth noting that salmonella is primarily found in “factory raised” eggs. Technically, that is called a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation. These birds are closely packed together, eat a very unnatural diet and require a great deal of medication and veterinary care to prevent serious disease. I do not consider this to be sanitary or humane, but it is what our government and the poultry industry insists on. As of the writing of this book, and after a ton of research, I have not found evidence that the egg from a naturally farm raised chicken has ever sickened anyone with salmonella. Again, you have to do your research and use your own judgment, but I use even raw eggs in some sauces and dishes… “And I ain’t dead yet!” Obviously, when considering the very young, the elderly and the immunocompromised, extra precaution must be used.
I think the biggest mistake many people make when cooking eggs is to cook them at too high a temperature. For instance, when cooking scrambled eggs in too hot a pan, the proteins may separate, causing the eggs to become grainy and watery. In frying an egg, if the pan is too hot, the fat can burn. Egg cookery takes a bit of practice both to find your favorite techniques and to get a feel for the time and temp you like.
Most any culinary herb or spice mix goes well with eggs. My favorites would be French tarragon (Russian tarragon is much easier to grow, and is useful medicinally, but not as flavorful), marjoram, thyme, parsley, sage, dill, celery leaves, basil, chives and all the alliums…even mint can be nice. Eggs love pepper, chili peppers, tomatoes, curry powder, chili powders, hot sauce - most anything really.
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