Sunday, December 24, 2000		Article

EATEN all over the world, the humble egg has many interesting, strange and superstitious legends behind it. They were used as a substitute for human and animal sacrifice. Since ages the egg has been regarded as a symbol of fertility. This is clearly depicted in the phoenix i.e.the bird of fire which is consumed in the flames but rises again from the very egg it has laid.

Some tribals believe that eggs can cure barrenness. A double yolk of eggs is offered as a wedding gift to ensure fertility. The Chinese welcomed the birth of a son by distributing red eggs. The Romans and the Muslims ate eggs hopefully as aphrodisaics. During Spanish gypsy weddings, the bride and the groom literally waltz on a floor having a layer of three inches egg yolks plus sugar. As they dance, this sticky mixture gets whipped up to their knees. Guests at weddings of Jews of Morocco throw raw eggs on the bride as the couple leaves the wedding hall.

In sharp contrast to this, Nigerian women were forbidden to eat eggs so that they do not become barren. Strangely Moroccan women were not allowed to eat them in front of their husbands, being highly superstitious that it would destroy their life symbol.Perhaps the strangest of all beliefs were in the Russians who offered fried eggs to their dead in the cemetery. This one is even more weird.Legend has it that witches hatched ghastly creatures from eggs. In 1474, legal proceedings were instituted against a cock of all creatures, when the poor one was accused of laying eggs for witchcraft purposes.

Eggs have been linked with romance too. Hungarian girls gift coloured eggs to their boy friends at Easter. The boy decides which girl is yearning for him when the colour begins to fade off the eggs. Swedish damsels fill egg shells with sweet romantic verses and secret messages before giving them to their boy friends. However,when a Bohemian girl receives two eggs as an Easter gift, it implies instant rejection.

History has it that the poles used to auction young girls before Lent. They were kept in a manger of hay to be examined carefully by the buyers.The highest bidder was honoured with a basket of 100 coloured eggs. Traditionally over the world, decorated and painted eggs are served at Easter. However, the kind of eggs made for Madame du Barry by Louis XV’ s court jeweller were prized magnificent items. Even the Russian czars had theirs designed in gold and enamel studded with precious stones, to which thoughtful presents were attached.

In a Parisian monastery, 5,000 eggs were boiled at every Easter. They were served at every meal till they were eaten. When Alexander the Great became the king of Greece, he promptly stopped sending the traditional tribute of golden eggs to Darius III, the Shah of Persia. The latter sent an envoy to find out the reason. Alexander haughtily answered that the bird who laid the golden eggs had flown away and that Darius would have to seek her in another world. The enmity between the two kings increased and finally a war waged between them.

The Chinese preserve duck’s eggs by burying them in a mixture of ashes, lime, salt and tea for six months, after which they are dug up and eaten. The French laws make it mandatory to put eggs in ice cream. So if you don’t eat eggs, you can’t relish ice cream in France.

An Israeli firm has hit upon a novel way to advertise. They print ads on eggs as they are being sorted. One can’t miss reading them as one opens a fridge.

The Danes had a three way egg-cup. One angle was for the Germans who ate their egg sideways, one part for the Jew who put the tip on the top and the third for the French and Italians who had the broad end upwards.

In bygone days, the British farmers used to put a fake egg made of porcelain in a hen’s nest believing that it would lay more eggs. This practice is linked with the literary term ‘nest eggs.’Persons who regularly save money are often referred to as having built up ‘a nice nest egg.’

Eggs were often placed in foundation and walls of buildings to protect and strengthen them. Lime was mixed with eggs to form a mortar as a water proof joint between stones during construction. Egg shells are a good manure too.

Usually it costs 80 paise for a private poultry farm to produce an egg. Meghalaya government poultry farm produces eggs at the rate of Rs 30 per egg. When are cooks most cruel? When they beat the eggs! However, the eternal question still remains unanswered:who came first, the hen or the egg?