E=Eggs Around the World

According to Thai legend, mothers concerned with how their sons-in-law were treating their daughters led to the creation of kai look keuy-or, son-in-law eggs. The fried hard-boiled eggs were served as a warning to get it together, or your “pair” will be fried up next! Yikes! Thai moms mean business!

That legend aside, in reality, Thai moms actually serve this crispy confection as a snack for their kids. They are so delicious, they can hardly be seen as a punishment. The kid-friendly version is made by frying the hard-boiled eggs in a batter then topping them with a caramel-y sauce of palm sugar, oil, shallots, tamarind, coriander, and fish sauce, making them tangy, sweet, salty, and savory all at the same time.

A more adult version would be to finish up the plating with a smattering of hot, crispy-fried chilies, then pepper in a latent castration threat. 😉

If visiting New York, try this tasty treat at Uncle Boon’s (7 Spring St. New York, New York, 10012)

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Scandinavian Egg Coffee

Want a cleaner, less bitter cuppa joe? Use eggs as a clarifying agent like the Scandinavians do. Start with cracking an egg into some coffee grounds with a bit of water, making a slimy mush. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add the mixture and let it steep. The result: cup after cup of clean, sienna-tinted brew. The egg absorbs the tannins and impurities that make coffee bitter and purifies low quality coffee.

During the mid 1800’s, immigrants from Scandinavia brought the method to the Midwest improving the suboptimal coffee that was available. It was dubbed “church basement coffee” because it was perfect for boiling massive quantities of java, thereby making it a staple of social gatherings.

Want step-by-step instructions? Check out this page here! It only takes 20 minutes to brew 10 servings of this clean coffee.

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Ovos Moles

In Portugal, Ovos Moles are wafer confections filled with sweet, colorful yolk, making them a symbol of the canal-lined, coastal city.

It is said that in the 1800s, Portuguese nuns used egg whites to iron their habits, leaving them with an excess of yolks, which they then turned into Ovos Moles as a convent confection. Housed inside delicate wafers shaped like shells, fish, and starfish, they created a sugary, rich, sweet with the yolks thereby extending the life of the surplus of perishable eggs.

In 1834, the order to start preparations to close the monastery began following the extinguishing of religious orders. After being tasked with the final operations of their convents, the last nun of the Monastery of Jesus de Aveiro passed away in 1874 and after that, bakeries took over production of ovos moles. They remain a beloved treat in Portugal, and today you will find them in shops all over the busy city.