5th May 2011, on the menu today...
Eggs
I don't have the words to express how wonderful the egg is. As an ingredient, it is a crucial part of many of our best loved sweet and savoury foods; whilst, by itself, it can be enjoyed poached, boiled, scrambled or fried. In addition, it is a nutritional powerhouse containing lots of high quality protein, some good fats and a plethora of vitamins and minerals.
Of course, there once was a time when Britons were told to "go to work on an egg". However, quick-to-prepare cereals soon came along and stole the breakfast lime light. For decades afterwards, cereal's grip on mornings tightened to the point where cereal bars were invented for people that didn't even have enough time to pour some milk over the stuff. Alongside this, the humble egg received a battering in the press with everything from salmonella to ill-informed nutritional advice putting people off. Fortunately, people are starting to wake up to the idea that the egg is not such a bad thing after all and I would like to think that more people will be tucking into them for breakfast in years to come. Personally, I love my cereal but that doesn't stop me having some scrambled eggs on toast or egg and soldiers beforehand. Apart from tasting absolutely delicious, this keeps me going all morning as it turns breakfast into a complete meal consisting of protein, carbohydrate, fat and fibre. What more could you ask for? Well, maybe some sausages and bacon on the side but then again that's probably just me being greedy:)
Have you considered...?
As already said, eggs are rich in high quality protein - mostly found in the white. Moreover, they are contain essential minerals and trace elements, vitamin A, vitamin D and a range of B vitamins - particularly good source of vitamin B12 and B2 (riboflavin).
History
Eggs (general) (as per Wikipedia entry):
Bird eggs have been valuable foodstuff since prehistory, in both hunting societies and more recent cultures where birds were domesticated. The chicken was probably domesticated for its eggs from jungle fowl native to tropical and subtropical Southeast Asia and India before 7500 BCE. Chickens were brought to Sumer and Egypt by 1500 BCE, and arrived in Greece around 800 BCE, where the quail had been the primary source of eggs. In Thebes, Egypt, the tomb of Haremhab, built about 1420 BCE, shows a depiction of a man carrying bowls of ostrich eggs and other large eggs, presumably those of the pelican, as offerings. In ancient Rome, eggs were preserved using a number of methods, and meals often started with an egg course. The Romans crushed the shell in their plate to prevent evil spirits from hiding there. In the Middle Ages, eggs were forbidden during Lent because of their richness. It is possible that the word mayonnaise was derived from moyeu, the medieval French word for the yolk meaning center or hub.
Egg scrambled with acidic fruit juices were popular in France in the 17th century; this may have been the origin of lemon curd.
The dried egg industry developed in the 19th century, before the rise of the frozen egg industry. In 1878, a company in St. Louis, Missouri started to transform egg yolk and white into a light-brown, meal-like substance by using a drying process. The production of dried eggs significantly expanded during World War II, for use by the United States Armed Forces and its allies.
In 1911, the egg carton was invented by Joseph Coyle in Smithers, British Columbia, to solve a dispute about broken eggs between a farmer in Bulkley Valley and the owner of the Aldermere Hotel. Early egg cartons were made of paper.
"Go to work on an egg" campaign (as per Wikipedia entry):
"Go to work on an egg" was an advertising slogan used by the United Kingdom's Egg Marketing Board during the 1950s as part of more than £12 million it spent on advertising, including a series of television adverts starring the comedian Tony Hancock and actress Patricia Hayes in 1965. The proposition was that having an egg for breakfast was the best way to start the working day. Authoress Fay Weldon helped to create the campaign.
In 2007, plans to rebroadcast the original television adverts were rejected by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre, which observed that the adverts did not suggest a varied diet. The advert was instead made available on an anniversary website.
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