Types of Edible Eggs
Posted on: April 19th 2022
Chicken eggs are a delectable part of our diet, but they’re not the only eggs we can eat. In fact, almost all bird eggs are edible. You may be surprised to find out other animals, such as crocodiles and octopuses, produce eggs that make their way into dishes around the world.
Each of the eggs below offers a unique taste, nutritional value, and cooking method. Explore the different types of eggs to eat to find out how to include them in your next meal.
1. Chicken
Chicken eggs are the most common eggs on the market in the United States. You may find these delicacies in many dishes, including baked goods, breakfast foods, and salads. They’re rich in protein, calcium, and zinc, along with iron, carotenoids, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients can boost your immune system and reduce your risk of eye problems in the future. The choline in eggs aids in brain development.
The color of the eggshell depends on the breed of chickens it came from. Chicken eggs you find in a store are usually white or brown, but sometimes you can find green eggs. Most chicken eggs have a rich buttery taste, but you may taste a difference between different-colored eggs.
Chicken eggs are generally mild in taste. This mild taste makes them suitable for many recipes, especially if you’re trying to stick to a high-protein diet. Consider adding hard-boiled eggs to your salad, or make scrambled eggs to eat with bacon and toast in the morning. Chicken eggs also allow baked goods to rise in the oven.
2. Crocodile
Since crocodiles lay so many eggs, it makes sense that people might wonder how they taste. Crocodile eggs are popular in certain parts of Asia and Australia, but they’re rare in the United States. It can be challenging to find and procure these eggs from their dangerous parents, but some parts of the world hold crocodile egg-eating contests because of their popularity.
Despite having such a large adult form, a crocodile egg is similar to a chicken or duck egg. It’s oval and equally rounded throughout its shell, instead of having a distinct tip like bird eggs do. It’s also slightly heavier than chicken and duck eggs. The shell is nearly clear when first laid, but it develops a creamy white color over time.
Most people think crocodile eggs have a strong and fishy taste, though they continue to be a delicacy enjoyed all over the world. Some people improve the taste by boiling them. Crocodile eggs have a high lecithin content. Consuming these eggs may help lower blood cholesterol, prevent Alzheimer’s, and improve memory.
It can also reduce your risk of hypertension and heart disease, along with treating fatty liver and diabetes.
3. Duck
Duck eggs are comparable to chicken eggs in terms of their size and cookability. They vary from chicken eggs with a larger yolk and a flatter, narrower circumference. Their thicker shell allows them to stay fresh for a more extended period. Most duck eggs are yellow or white, but they can also be gray, black, green, or brown, depending on the breed of duck. The light yellow yolk turns orange when boiled. The egg whites also have a pale blue tint to them.
A duck egg has a richer and smoother taste than a chicken egg, depending on the duck’s diet. Since ducks are game birds, their eggs tend to have a gamey flavor. Duck eggs have high levels of potassium, calcium, vitamin B complex, protein, and iron. The one downside to duck eggs is their high fat and cholesterol content. One duck egg has about double the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendation for cholesterol. Compared to duck eggs, a large chicken egg has about two-thirds less cholesterol.
Despite their high fat and cholesterol content, duck eggs are popular in restaurants. Most people eat duck eggs the same way they’d eat chicken eggs. Experienced cooks know that the eggs’ high fat content and reduced water content make them perfect for cooking. Try substituting chicken eggs with duck eggs for fluffier omelets, chewier cookies, and more elevated cakes.
4. Emu
The emu, a long-necked flightless bird, is the second tallest bird on Earth and the national bird of Australia. Their eggs are a delicacy all over the world, and particularly in Australia. They’re gaining popularity in the United States because of their appearance, taste, and nutritional value. Emu eggs weigh as much as about a dozen chicken eggs. When you first look at them, you may mistake them for Hass avocados. Their dark shell is usually black with deep green speckles.
The yolk resembles silly putty, and the egg white resembles glue. As you cut into the egg, the yolk and white don’t ooze out. Out of all the edible bird eggs, emu eggs have one of the richest tastes. This burst of flavor is due to their creamy yolks. One emu egg is equivalent to about ten chicken eggs, and it has more good cholesterol and less bad cholesterol. A thick shell allows this delicacy to stay fresh in the fridge for longer.
Because of their rich taste, emu eggs make excellent omelets and other dishes.
Since they tend to rise better when cooked than chicken eggs, you can use them in baked goods. When cooking with an emu egg, you’ll need to use a drill or a screwdriver to get it open. However, you might want to do minimal damage to the shell because of its unusual beauty.
5. Goose
Goose eggs aren’t as common as chicken, turkey, or duck eggs because they only lay about 40 eggs each year. Depending on the goose’s size, it can lay between four and six eggs in one nest. Most geese produce eggs in the spring, between March and May. Some breeds of goose may start laying eggs in the winter. Goose eggs are about twice the size of a chicken egg. They have thick shells that require force to crack open.
Compared to chicken eggs, goose eggs have a denser taste. Some people think goose eggs taste bland, funky, or weird, while others believe they’re similar to chicken eggs with a richer flavor. A goose egg is only about double the size of a chicken egg, but it has about six times the amount of cholesterol and four times the calories. These eggs have a high level of protein, selenium, iron, and vitamins A, B, D, and E.
One goose egg is big enough for a two-person breakfast. Though it’s much bigger than a chicken egg, you can likely cook it the same way. You just need to cook it for longer and avoid burning it.
6. Guinea Fowl
The guinea fowl is a West African bird with a similar appearance to a turkey. Guinea fowl eggs are rare because these birds only lay about 60 eggs each year. Because of its rarity, a guinea fowl egg is a tasty treat in certain parts of the world. A guinea hen egg has a thick shell that’s the color of oatmeal with speckles of brown. Its large, rich yolk leaves very little room for egg whites inside the shell.
Most French-speaking countries favor guinea hen meat, but the eggs are also delicious and favored among bird eggs. Their rich, enhanced flavor stems from the guinea hens ranging freely around barnyards and eating what they want. Besides being delicious, guinea fowl eggs are also rich in protein, omega-3, vitamin B complex, choline, vitamin A, and several minerals.
Given their rich taste, guinea fowl eggs are excellent for cakes, pies, and mayonnaise. They’re also delicious to eat on their own.
You can cook them like chicken eggs, but keep in mind that their shells are a little thicker. They also have creamier insides.
7. Gull
When you think of seagulls, you might imagine them trying to grab your food at the beach. In other parts of the world, gull eggs are a unique treat. Black-headed seagull eggs are a springtime morsel in the United Kingdom. You need a license to collect them in England between April 1 and May 15 each year. Licensed collectors can only obtain seagull eggs from six defined areas, mainly on England’s southern coast near wetlands and marshes.
Black-headed gull eggs are smaller than chicken eggs. They’re prevalent in certain parts of North America, Asia, and Europe. These tan-brown eggs have dark dots, and they have red-orange yolks. Those who have tasted black-headed gull eggs say the flavor is subtle and very rich. Since seagulls are game birds, their eggs tend to have a gamey taste.
Gull eggs are rich in vitamin D, making them perfect for supplementing in places that don’t get a lot of sun. Vitamin D boosts your mood and enhances your immune system against illnesses. Traditionally, people eat hard-boiled black-headed seagull eggs, most often with celery salt and asparagus. Chefs in London and throughout England may also hard-boil the eggs with caviar, artichokes, and smoked salmon. It usually takes three to four minutes to boil gull eggs and six minutes to steam them.
8. Octopus
Octopus eggs are definitely not what you expect when you think of edible eggs. This delicacy is popular in Japan, but it hasn’t caught on in the United States. Instead of having a hard shell with yolk and whites on the inside, one large egg sac has several little eggs that look and feel like long pieces of rice.
Japanese chefs either cook octopus eggs or use them raw. When cooked, they tend to have a sweet, nutty flavor.
You can use them on top of sushi or substitute for the meat and vegetables inside sushi.
9. Ostrich
The ostrich is a long-neck flightless bird that produces the largest bird eggs. It’s native to Africa and is the tallest bird in the world. This type of egg is very expensive and isn’t as readily available as you may think. An ostrich egg is about 20 times larger than a chicken egg. It has a cream-colored shell that’s extremely thick and hard to crack. In fact, the shell’s thickness is the equivalent of the side of a teacup.
An ostrich egg has a similar flavor to a chicken egg, but it has a bit of a buttery taste.
Some egg connoisseurs describe it as a light, delicate flavor. Each egg has about 2,000 calories. Otherwise, it has similar nutrient content to chicken eggs, rich in protein and vitamin D.
The first step to cooking an ostrich egg is to get it open. Use a solid serrated knife or a hacksaw to score a line in the shell. After sticking a screwdriver or chisel into the line, tap it with a mallet. When you’ve successfully opened the ostrich egg, you can make an abundant egg breakfast or a large potato salad. Hard-boiling an ostrich egg takes about two hours.
10. Pheasant
As a game bird, the pheasant is usually hunted in the wild, but farmers can also raise it. Their eggs are sometimes collected as a delicacy. Common pheasants can lay up to eight to 15 eggs at once, but some lay as many as 18. Pheasants are native to Asian countries, but people enjoy their eggs all over the world. Pheasant eggs are about the same size as duck eggs, so they are slightly bigger than chicken eggs.
Their shells are pale green, brown, or beige, depending on the breed of pheasant. They also have large, deep-yellow yolks. A pheasant’s egg is similar to a quail egg, and it has a gamey taste. Besides having a rich, gamey flavor, pheasant eggs are also rich in amino acids, vitamin B, and vitamin D. These nutrients strengthen your muscles, brain, skin, nervous system, and bones.
After eating pheasant eggs, you may also sleep better and have a better mood and appetite. You can also boost your immune system to fight off diseases.
You can cook pheasant eggs like chicken eggs in breakfast dishes and baked goods. You can also treat them like gull eggs by hard-boiling them and making a dish with celery salt. They taste delicious on their own or included in meals.
11. Pigeon
Pigeon eggs have been a popular delicacy in certain parts of the world, especially in Asian countries. Pigeons lay a couple of eggs at a time, making them more available than other edible bird eggs. Their eggs are small and white, but they’re sometimes pale blue or brown with speckles. They’re larger than quail eggs but much smaller than chicken eggs. When cooked, the egg whites are clearer and denser than chicken eggs.
Since the shell is very delicate, you must be careful when cooking with a pigeon egg. You also have to cook it as soon as possible before it spoils in the refrigerator. Pigeon eggs have a similar taste to chicken eggs. They have less fat, yet they’re denser than chicken eggs, which contributes to their flavor. Pigeon eggs are rich in vitamin B1 and come with many digestive and cardiac benefits.
Since they’re so small, you’d have to use several pigeon eggs to substitute one chicken egg in a recipe. You may be able to find larger pigeon eggs, depending on the breed. Though pigeon eggs are smaller than chicken eggs, they take much longer to boil. Try frying them or cooking them as you would with a chicken egg. They also taste delicious in salads and other egg recipes, including recipes that call for quail eggs.
12. Quail
Quail eggs are famous all over the world. Some cultures even use them for medicinal purposes. These tiny, delicate eggs are about the size of grape tomatoes or large olives. They have large black or dark brown speckles on their creamy brown shells. Inside their shells, they have little yellow yolks.
A quail egg has a mild taste like a chicken egg, and it has a similar nutritional value.
Since quail eggs are about a quarter of the size of chicken eggs, you’d need to eat a few of them to get the same nutrition. These eggs are rich in vitamin D and vitamin B12. Quail eggs are adaptable enough to be used in a variety of delicious dishes. You can make eggs Benedict, put them in a Caesar salad, or wrap them in bacon.
Japanese chefs use quail eggs in sushi or on skewers. Chefs in Spain marinate or pan-fry quail eggs and serve them as tapas with toasted bread and cured ham. These eggs are hard to peel, so you might want to hard-boil them. Consider making little deviled eggs from quail eggs.
13. Turkey
Turkey eggs were more prevalent when wild turkeys were available in homesteads. These eggs are now a rare delicacy in the United States because farmers profit more from the turkey meat than the egg. Turkeys live longer than chickens, so they don’t begin laying eggs for a few months after chickens do. When turkeys do start laying eggs, they don’t produce that many. Instead of focusing on getting these eggs to the market, farmers focus on breeding the turkeys for holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Turkey eggs look and taste like duck eggs. Their yolk and egg white are thicker, so they have a creamier taste and consistency. Turkey eggs have brown-speckled shells. Due to their bigger and thicker yellow yolks and light, runny whites, they have a creamy texture and taste. Turkey eggs are rich in calcium and protein. Keep in mind they have more cholesterol than a chicken egg.
Like chicken eggs, you can fry, poach, or boil turkey eggs and put them in any dish. Some people enjoy cooking pastries with turkey eggs because of their rich flavor. They take longer to cook than chicken eggs because of their larger size. You can substitute one turkey egg for two chicken eggs because of their size.
Find Sauder’s Eggs in a Store Near You
Among all the different types of eggs you can eat, the best is the tried-and-true chicken egg. It has a rich buttery flavor and many nutritional benefits. Sauder’s Eggs provides high-quality chicken eggs for you and your family. Whether you want to bake cookies or make a nutritious salad, chicken eggs are an excellent treat for your loved ones. If eggs are on the menu tonight, look for Sauder’s Eggs in a store near you.
