- Eggs are perhaps the most vital life force. More than 99 per cent of animal species reproduce via oviparity (egg laying) with mammals being the notable outliers. And even then, there are two striking egg-ceptions: the echidna (spiny anteater ) and the platypus, the only mammals that lay eggs.
- AT BIRTH, human ovaries come equipped with a lifetime supply of eggs already intact — between one and two million oo-cyctes (eggs). By puberty, that number shrinks to around 4,000,000, and continues to decrease with age. With women waiting longer to have children (the average age for first-time mothers in Canada, for example is 29), egg freezing is on the rise. In the United States, it rose 39 per cent between 2019 and 2021.
- “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Chickens are a domesticated version of the red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), a tropical bird still common in Asia. By selectively breeding the tamest of the birds, humans created a whole new species approximately 8,000 years ago. So, the first-ever chicken (Gallus domesticus) came from the egg of its wild ancestor.
- Decorating Eggs is an age-old tradition: Archaeologists discovered gold and silver decorated eggs in the ancient tombs of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern elites. But the association with Easter began with Ukrainian practice of pysansky. With the yellow yolk representing the sun, decorating eggs was a way to welcome spring and ward off bad crops. When Christianity spread to Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, the ritual was reimagined, with the eggs symbolizing Christ’s resurrection.
- White and brown eggs are the most widely available, but chicken eggs come in many shades, including cream, pink, blue, and even green. That’s right: Green eggs aren’t just the imaginings of Dr Seuss — though in real life. only the shell appears green. The variety is due to genetics, with no difference in nutrition or taste.
- Faberge Eggs are crafted from gold and adorned with diamonds and semi-precious stones. The Hen-Egg, commissioned as an Easter gift by Tsar Alexander III for his wife, was the first in a series of 50 created for the Russian imperial family between 1995 and 1917. Of those, 43 are still accounted for — including the Third Imperial Egg (valued at $33 million). It was discovered at an American flea market in 2014. The buyer didn’t realize its worth and had planned to sell it for scrap.
- Pop culture ‘easter eggs’ can be seen in Marvel movies and Taylor Swift music videos. The practice of hiding hard-to-catch messages and inside jokes started as a way for video-game developers to communicate with players or leave a a tag of sorts. But sometimes it happens by accident. The cast of 1975’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show held an egg hunt on set and some of the eggs were a little too well hidden. At least three eggs are visible in the final film. More recently, a Starbucks coffee coup appeared in Season 8 episode of Game of Thornes.
- To have egg on one’s face is a figurative expression meant to convey embarrassment, but it has more literal origins. In the vavudeville entertainment era of the early 20th century, a poor theatrical performance was often met with a pelting of rotten vegetables and, yes, raw eggs.
- The largest eggs are laid by the ostrich, at 15 centimeters long and 13 centimeters wide. They weigh an average of 1.36 kilograms, but, in 2008, one ostrich laid an egg nearly double that (2.59 kilograms), hitting a new world record. However, the largest eggs to have ever existed are believed to be those of the now-extinct Aepyornis maximus (elephant bird), a flightless species native to Madagascar whose eggs were about 30 centimeters long and 22 centimeters wide.
- An Egg is almost certain to shatter if your drop it on the floor, but squeeze it from the ends and it’s different story. The conundrum comes down to architecture: While eggshells are made from fragile calcium carbonate, their three-dimensional arch shape is extremely durable when pressure is applied equally from top to bottom — reportedly withstanding more than 45 kilograms of weight.
- Eggs could be considered the original breakfast food. Prior to the 18th century, only manual laborers, children and the elderly would eat first thing in the morning. But when the Industrial Revolution birthed a new labor class, workers needed sustenance before heading to the factory. Enter eggs (a cheaper alternative to meat) as the obvious solution to early morning hunger pangs. Poached was the most popular way to cook them.
- Eggs are a great source of protein and vitamins A,D, and B 12. They’re also high in cholesterol, which led to some confusing guidelines when it comes to heart health. In the 1960s and ’70s, the American Heart Association warned against eating more than three eggs per week. But current research has debunked this, concluding that there’s no definitive link between eggs and increase in blood cholesterol. In fact, an egg a day is good for you.
- Chocolate Eggs certainly don’t have the same health benefits, but they’re still a favorite treat. The first chocolate Easter egg was made in Europe in the late 19th century and was an expensive novelty at the time. It wasn’t until the 1950s, once methods improved and the eggs could be mass produced, that they became more widely affordable. Easter has since become the second biggest holiday for chocolate consumption in North America.
