Fried or Boiled? Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

The content of the egg is exactly the same, it is just the colour of the shell that is different. Many people believe that the eggshell colour comes from the type of food the chickens eat, but this is also incorrect. Red hens (such as Rhode Island Red) generally lay brown eggs while white hens (such as Leghorn) lay white eggs.

However, as with most things, there are always exceptions to the rule!

Answer: the shells are thinner

Strangely enough, although the eggs are larger, the weight of the shell itself has not changed in hundreds of years - the same amount of shell has to cover a larger area so it is thinner. Thankfully, the domestic hen does not have to protect her eggs from predators as in times past so it does not make that much difference.

Answer: baked

John Cardy Jeaffreson, a social historian, wrote: 'The peasant who bakes his egg in hot wood embers piled about the shell knows by a sure sign when the meat is sufficiently cooked. As soon as a clear dew drop exudes from the shell's top, visible above the embers, the egg is done to the perfection of softness.' ('A Book About The Table', published in 1875.) It sounds strange to our ears, but we have to remember that in the Middle Ages they did not have modern kitchens!

Answer: an egg would be broken on the doorstep of the new home

Eggs have long been connected with new life, and it seems natural that they would play a part in the wedding ritual. By using an egg in this way, the couple would be ensuring that a large family would be born to them.

Answer: Yes

This traditional Jewish recipe for haminados goes on: 'The mixture will penetrate the shells, give the white an amber colour, the yolks the colour of saffron, and the eggs will have the taste of the most delicious chestnuts you have ever eaten.'

Answer: Vitamin C

Eggs actually contain thirteen different vitamins! - but no Vitamin C. They also contain minerals including phosphorus, iron and calcium. As well as these, it also has some trace elements such as zinc, iodine and selenium. Nature's pre-packed food also provides 13% of the recommended daily allowance of protein for an adult (the egg is the measure of standard used for other protein foods). An egg really does pack quite a punch!

Answer: it holds the yolk central for protection

These are called chalazae, and the pair of them run from the blunt end to the sharp end of the egg, one either side of the yolk to hold it fairly central. You can tell how fresh an egg is from these, as the older the egg becomes the less prominent they become.

They are just as edible as the rest of the white, although for some recipes cooks prefer to remove them as they can be unsightly.

Answer: Phoenicians

The Chinese also believed something along these lines, but that the universe was egg-shaped, with the yolk representing the earth and the white was the heavens. Like many others, the Chinese saw the egg as a symbol of fertility, and parents would give dyed eggs as gifts when they had a child.

Answer: True

The membrane around an egg, just inside the shell, is made up of two layers, and at the rounded end these separate to form a little bubble which is filled with air. As the shell is porous, it 'breathes' and more air is collected in this little sac. As the bubble gets bigger, the egg gets lighter, and its ability to float increases; eventually it will float on the top of water. If in doubt about the age of your egg, try it - it works!

Answer: all of these, and much more

The list of interesting things that can be done with egg shells is limitless. Washed out eggshells have a wide variety of uses, including 'recycling' on compost. As it is composed mostly of calcium, there is a lot of goodness in the humble shell. In fact, there is a lot to be said for our basic little egg all round!