Interesting facts about the egg

For the egg to be laid, the chicken needs up to 24-26 hours. After the first egg is laid the second egg begins forming inside of the chicken.

Composition and construction

The egg is consisted of 3 main parts – the shell, the white and the yolk. The largest part of it is the yolk – contributing 50% of the eggs mass.
Egg shell color is caused by pigment deposition during egg formation in theoviduct and can vary according tospecies andbreed, from the more common white or brown to pink
or speckled blue-green. In general, chicken breeds with white ear lobes lay white eggs, whereas chickens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs. Although there is no significant link between shell color and nutritional value, there is often a cultural preference for one color over another (see 'Color of eggshell', below). Brown eggs have significantly higher
incidence of blood spots due to candling being less effective.
The membrane is a clear film lining the eggshell, visible when one peels a boiled egg.
Eggshell membrane is primarily composed of fibrous proteins such as collagen type I Egg white consists primarily of about 90 percent water into which is dissolved 10
percentproteins (includingalbumins, mucoproteins, andglobulins). Unlike the yolk, which is high in lipids (fats), egg white contains almost no fat and thecarbohydrate
content is less than one percent. Egg white has many uses in food, and many others, including the preparation ofvaccines such asthose for influenza.
The yolk in a newly laid egg is round and firm. As the yolk ages, it absorbs water from the albumen, which increases its size and causes it to stretch and weaken vitelline
membrane (the clear casing enclosing the yolk). The resulting effect is a flattened and enlarged yolk shape.
Yolk color is dependent on the diet of the hen; if the diet contains yellow/orange plant pigments known as xanthophyll’s, then they are deposited in the yolk, coloring
it. Lutein is the most abundant pigment in egg yolk. A colorless diet can produce an almost colorless yolk. Yolk color is, for example, enhanced if the diet includes foods such
as yellow corn and marigold petals. In the US, the use of artificial color additives is forbidden.
The chemical consistency of the egg is influenced not only from the chickens diet, but also from the seasons and other factors. For example the contents of vitamin A in the egg
yolk in the summer (free pastured chickens) is a couple of time bigger than that of the egg in the winter. Although the colour of the eggs shell is not directly connected to the
quality and chemical consistency of the egg. The main factors are indeed the pigments of the food fed to the chickens.
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The History of the Egg

Latest data shows that eggs were first cultivated in Southeast Asia about 9-9 thousand years ago. In Europe the egg was introduced by the romans, which transformed into their breakfast. In those times a hatcher only laid 30 eggs per year, whereas today it can lay approximately 200 eggs per year, that’s all thanks to selective breading.
For long some Asians cultures used eggs in separate meals and in preordained times.
They didn’t mix them with other products. The French were the first who started using eggs in the making of dough. The introduction of eggs became apparent in XVII century, when it started becoming the main ingredient of a handful of meals – in combination of vegetables, fish, soup, soufflé, drinks and etc.
Before the eggs became prominent, people in different regions collected eggs from bird nests. But the authorities soon understood that conduct lead to the decrease of the bird population and a lot of new laws were enacted, by which banned the raiding of nests and the harvesting of their eggs. For example in the Northern part of Asia the punishment for such a heinous crime is being incarcerated in a dungeon for 3 nights.
There are even countless legend for the eggs. But one the most interesting, is that one about the preparation of the egg - In some kingdom the royal cook died, a lot of candidates for his replacement came. They designated a challenge by which they would take the position, they must cook a meal consisting of a single kilogram of a selected product, 1 liter of water and a 1 kilogram of salt. Only a single contestant showed up and he surprisingly cooked 1 kilogram of eggs. He won the challenge hence he became the royal cook.
In the search for ways to store eggs for longer, they have invented quite interesting ways to do so. There is a Chinese method of conserving eggs called eggs synhyadan or the so called “one thousand year old egg” . Of course it doesn’t last a thousand years, the preparation takes 2 weeks to a month or two. It’s usually done with chicken or duck eggs. The eggs are lubricated with a mix a tea, salt, ash, clay and lime, then they put an egg in rice blossoms and then they bury it so there is no air around the egg. If done properly the white will become see through with a brownish colour, whereas the yolk is like cream and it has greyish colour. Usually the thousand year eggs are consumed without any other kind of processing – eaten either for breakfast or with salads.
The incredible form of the egg and its contents made it’s shell one of the most important symbols of the past – it has been a symbol of the universe as well as a symbol of the changing nature (for some cultures). There is even a phrase in latin “ab ovo usque ad mala”, which means “from the beginning till the end”. Another meaning of that phrase is “from the egg to the apples”. That implies that the romans used eggs as the beginning of their meals for the day and gave eggs the symbolic meaning of new deeds and a new beginning.
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