List of egg dishes facts for kids

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A raw cracked chicken egg

Eggs are amazing! They are laid by female animals like birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Humans have been eating eggs for thousands of years. A typical bird or reptile egg has a clear part called the albumen (that's the egg white) and a yellow part called the vitellus (the egg yolk). These are inside thin membranes, all protected by a hard eggshell.

Some popular eggs people eat come from chickens, ducks, quails, and even emus. Fish eggs, like roe and caviar, are also enjoyed. But the most common egg eaten by people around the world is the chicken egg.

Egg Dishes Around the World
Egg Drinks
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Egg Dishes Around the World

Eggs are super versatile! People use them to make all sorts of yummy dishes, from simple breakfasts to fancy desserts. Let's explore some of them!

Simple Egg Favorites

These are some of the most common ways people cook eggs.

Boiled Eggs: These eggs are cooked in hot water. If you cook them for a short time, the yolk stays runny (soft-boiled). If you cook them longer, the yolk becomes solid (hard-boiled).
Fried Eggs: Cooked in a hot pan with a little oil or butter. You can cook them "sunny side up" (yolk still runny and bright), "over easy" (flipped quickly so the yolk is still runny), or "over hard" (cooked until the yolk is completely solid).
Scrambled Eggs: These are made by beating eggs and then stirring them in a hot pan. They form soft, fluffy curds.
Poached Eggs: These eggs are cooked gently in simmering water without their shell. They have a delicate, runny yolk and firm white.
Omelette: A dish made from beaten (but not further stirred while cooking) eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil, in a frying pan. It's sometimes folded around a filling like cheese, vegetables, or meat.

Savory Egg Meals

Eggs are a key ingredient in many delicious main dishes.

Akashiyaki: A Japanese dish similar to takoyaki. It's a small, round egg mix with a piece of octopus inside.
Avgolemono: A family of sauces and soups from the Mediterranean. They are made with egg and lemon juice, mixed with broth.
Brik: From Tunisia, this is a thin pastry wrapped around a filling, often including a whole egg, tuna, and herbs, then deep-fried.
Carbonara: An Italian pasta dish from Rome. It's made with egg, hard cheese (like Pecorino), cured pork (guanciale or pancetta), and black pepper. The egg and cheese create a creamy sauce.
Chawanmushi: A Japanese savory egg custard. It's steamed and often includes ingredients like ginkgo seeds.
Chinese Steamed Eggs: A simple Chinese home-style dish. Eggs are beaten with water and then steamed until soft and smooth.
Deviled Eggs: A popular appetizer! Hard-boiled egg yolks are mashed with mayonnaise, mustard, and seasonings, then put back into the egg whites.
Egg Curry: A spicy dish from Bangladesh and India. It's made with boiled eggs, tomatoes, and fried onions, usually eaten with bread or flatbreads.
Egg Foo Young: A Chinese-American dish where eggs are mixed with vegetables (like bean sprouts and scallions), quickly cooked like a pancake, and served with gravy.
Egg in a Basket: An American dish where an egg is fried inside a hole cut out of a slice of bread.
Egg Salad: Often used as a sandwich filling, this is made of chopped hard-boiled eggs mixed with mayonnaise, mustard, and seasonings.
Eggs Benedict: A classic American breakfast or brunch dish. It features poached eggs, Canadian bacon, and creamy hollandaise sauce, all served on toasted English muffin halves. There are variations like Eggs Florentine (with spinach) and Eggs Royale (with smoked salmon).
Frittata: An Italian egg dish similar to an omelette or quiche without a crust. It's often filled with meats, cheeses, or vegetables.
Gyeran-mari: A Korean savory side dish. It's a rolled omelette with finely diced ingredients like onion, carrots, or cheese mixed in.
Ham and Eggs: A simple dish combining various preparations of ham and eggs.
Huevos Rancheros: A Mexican breakfast dish. It has fried or poached eggs served on corn tortillas, often with beans and salsa.
Katsudon: A Japanese rice bowl dish. It combines a breaded pork cutlet (tonkatsu), egg, and rice in a bowl.
Kedgeree: A British dish with Indian roots. It contains cooked fish (often smoked haddock), boiled rice, parsley, hard-boiled eggs, and curry powder.
Menemen: A popular traditional Turkish dish. It includes eggs, tomato, green peppers, and spices, cooked in olive oil.
Migas: A dish from Mexico and Tex-Mex cuisine. It consists of corn and flour tortillas mixed with other ingredients, frequently including eggs.
Okonomiyaki: A Japanese savory pancake. It's made from an egg-and-flour mix cooked on a griddle with various added ingredients.
Oyakodon: A Japanese rice bowl dish. Its name means "parent and child" because it uses both chicken (parent) and egg (child) as toppings, with a sweet and salty soy sauce broth.
Quiche: A French dish with a pastry crust filled with eggs and milk or cream. It can be made with vegetables, meat, or seafood.
Scotch Egg: A British snack! It's a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs, and then baked or deep-fried.
Shakshouka: A Middle Eastern dish where eggs are poached in a flavorful tomato and paprika sauce, often seasoned with spices like cumin.
Silog: A class of Filipino breakfast dishes. It includes fried rice (sinangag) and egg (itlog), served with various meat dishes like tapa or longganisa.
Soufflé: A baked egg-based dish from France. It can be a savory main dish or a sweet dessert, combined with various other ingredients.
Spanish Omelette: Also known as a Spanish tortilla, this thick omelette from Spain is made with eggs, potatoes, and fried in olive oil.
Stracciatella: An Italian soup made from thin strands of beaten egg mixture in a meat broth.
Steak and Eggs: A hearty meal from the United States, combining beefsteak with eggs prepared in various ways.
Tahu Telur: An Indonesian dish of half-cooked fried tofu and fried egg, served with rice cake, bean sprouts, and peanut sauce.
Takoyaki: A popular Japanese street food. These are small, round balls made from an egg-based batter, with a piece of octopus inside.
Tamagoyaki: A Japanese rolled omelette. It's made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg, sometimes with sugar, soy sauce, or other flavors.
Tunisian Tajine: A baked egg dish from Tunisia that has a ragout (a thick, rich stew) and is often served in squares.
Zucchini Slice: An Australian baked dish made with eggs, cheese, and zucchini.

Sweet Egg Treats

Eggs are also used to create many delicious desserts.

Custard: A sweet, creamy mixture made with eggs, milk or cream, and sugar. It can be eaten on its own or used in pies and other desserts.
Divinity: A sweet, nougat-like candy from the United States made with egg whites, corn syrup, and sugar.
Floating Island: A French dessert with light meringue (whipped egg whites and sugar) floating on a creamy vanilla custard sauce.
French Toast: Bread dipped in a mixture of beaten eggs and milk, then fried until golden. It's often topped with powdered sugar, fruit, or maple syrup.
Frozen Custard: Similar to ice cream but richer, as it's made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar.
Kogel Mogel: A sweet, homemade dessert popular in Eastern Europe. It's made from egg yolks, sugar, and flavorings like honey or vanilla, similar to eggnog.
Meringue: A light, airy dessert or topping made from whipped egg whites and sugar. It's often used in pies or baked into crispy cookies.
Ovos Moles de Aveiro: A traditional Portuguese pastry. It has a sweet filling of egg yolks and sugar, often inside a shell-shaped rice paper casing.
Pavlova: A popular dessert in Australia and New Zealand. It's a cake-shaped meringue base, crispy on the outside and soft inside, topped with fruit and whipped cream.
Pastel de Nata: A Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, often dusted with cinnamon.
Quindim: A baked Brazilian dessert made mainly from sugar, egg yolks, and ground coconut.
Zabaione: An Italian dessert made from egg yolks, sugar, and wine, often served warm.

Unique Egg Dishes

Some egg dishes are quite special and have interesting histories.

Balut: A unique street food from Southeast Asia, especially the Philippines. It's a steamed fertilized duck egg that contains a partially developed duck embryo.
Century Egg: A Chinese delicacy made by preserving duck, chicken, or quail eggs in a special mixture for several weeks or months. This process turns the egg white into a dark, jelly-like substance and the yolk into a creamy, dark green or gray center.
Iron Egg: A Taiwanese dish of small eggs that are repeatedly stewed in spices and air-dried. They become dark brown, chewy, and very flavorful.
Onsen Tamago: "Hot-spring eggs" from Japan. These are traditional Japanese boiled eggs slow-cooked in the water of hot springs.
Pickled Egg: Hard-boiled eggs that are cured in vinegar or brine. They are a popular snack in pubs and bars.
Salted Duck Egg: A Chinese dish where a duck egg is pickled in salt water brine. When cooked, the whites become saltier, and the yolk has a creamy texture.
Smoked Egg: Can be prepared by smoking hard-boiled eggs or by smoking uncooked eggs in their shells.
Tea Egg: A common Chinese snack. A boiled egg is slightly cracked and then boiled again in tea, soy sauce, and spices, giving it a marbled pattern and savory flavor.

Egg Drinks

Eggs aren't just for eating; they can be in drinks too!

Bombardino: A hot Italian drink made with egg liqueur and rum or brandy, often topped with whipped cream.
Egg Coffee: A Vietnamese drink where egg yolks, sugar, and condensed milk are whipped until fluffy and then added to strong coffee.
Eggnog: A sweet, creamy drink popular during holidays, especially in the United States. It's traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, whipped egg whites, and egg yolks.
Egg Soda: A sweet Vietnamese drink made from egg yolk, sweetened condensed milk, and club soda.
Flip: A shaken cocktail that includes a whole raw egg.
Tamagozake: A Japanese drink consisting of heated sake (rice wine), sugar, and a raw egg.
Teh Talua: An Indonesian drink made with tea powder, raw egg, sugar, and citrus.
Uovo Sbattuto: An Italian sweet breakfast dish made of sugar and egg yolks, often prepared as a coffee drink.