I remember when I was a student in Boston, I would come back home to London for the holidays and the first thing I would ask my mother to make for me was egg on toast, a very traditional English breakfast. Since finding out that I am gluten intolerant, I have had to do away with toast, but eat eggs on an almost regular basis.

 ‘E’ is for Eggs

As mentioned in last month’s article, Eggs are not a member of the dairy category despite the fallacy that they are.

They are by far one of the most nutritious foods available but are sadly misunderstood!! Most people are warned off eggs due to the amount of cholesterol present in them.

Did you know that eggs provide the highest quality source of protein available? Furthermore, they contain practically every vitamin and mineral essential to the human body bar Vitamin C. The table below provides an idea of some of the vitamins and minerals present in an egg; whole, just the yolk and just the white. 

Nutrient (unit)	Whole Egg	Egg White	Egg Yolk
Calories (kcal)	75	17	59
Protein (g)	6.25	3.52	2.78
Total lipid (g)	5.01	0	5.12
Total carbohydrate (g)	0.6	0.3	0 .3
Fatty acids (g)	4.33	0	4.33
Saturated fat (g)	1.55	0	1.55
Monounsaturated fat (g)	1.91	0	1.91
Polyunsaturated fat (g)	0.68	0	0.68
Cholesterol (mg)	213	0	213
Thiamin (mg)	0.031	0.002	0.028
Riboflavin (mg)	0.254	0.151	0.103
Niacin (mg)	0.036	0.031	0.005
Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.070	0.001	0.0069
Folate (mcg)	23.5	1.0	22.5
Vitamin B12 (mcg)	0.50	0.07	0.43
Vitamin A (IU)	317.5	0	317
Vitamin E (mg)	0.70	0	0.70
Vitamin D (IU)	24.5	0	24.5

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/food/articles/0929lowcarb29.html

One of the reasons why the consumption of eggs is often discouraged is because of their cholesterol content. Did you know however, that cholesterol is also a requirement in our bodies? It is essential for every cell in our body as it insulates nerve fibres and maintains the cell walls as well as producing vitamin D and various other hormones and digestive juices. If we as humans eat less cholesterol, our bodies will never the less produce it in our livers. (http://whatscookingamerica.net/eggs.htm)

Have you ever looked at an egg and thought it contained merely the yolk, white and shell?  Well read on and you’ll see that there’s more to the egg than meets the eye.

SHELL

• Prevents damage to the egg

• Acts as a shield against bacteria

SHELL MEMBRANES

• There are two membranes – the outer and inner membrane. Their job is to act as filters to help the shell keep the egg in good condition

THE AIR CELL

• This is at the rounded end of the egg

• As the egg ages, it loses water and air is drawn in to replace it so the air pocket gets bigger

• The smaller the air cell, the fresher the egg. A fresh egg will not float but a stale egg will

• When you shell a hard-boiled egg you can see from the shape of the egg how big the air cell was and how old the egg is

THE YOLK

• This is full of goodness and has a higher concentration of protein than the white

WHITE OR ALBUMEN

• If you crack an egg, you can see two types of white - the thick white ‘stands up’ and the thin white runs towards the edge

THE EGG CELL OR GERMINAL DISC

• This is the part of the egg which would have developed into a chicken if it had been fertilised

• You can see the egg cell when you crack an egg. It is the tiny speck on the

 surface

THE VITELLINE MEMBRANE

• This holds the yolk together

THE CHALAZAE

• These are strands attached to the thick albumen which ‘anchor’ the yolk in the middle of the egg (http://www.eggsedu.org.uk/world_of_eggs.htm)

Interesting Facts

Did you know that October 10^th 2003 was World Egg Day? In the UK alone, each person consumes approximately 170 eggs a year. The human race has consumed eggs for thousands of years and in ancient times, early man would collect the eggs that it found in the wild and then eat them raw or possibly cook them on open fires.

The rearing of hens/chickens has only become popular 4000 years ago. Once people understood the advantage of keeping hens/chickens in their back garden and the process for doing so, poultry farming expanded rapidly. Prior to this, it is thought that our ancestors would bury eggs in the ash of their fires in order to preserve them through the cold months of the year.

Eggs are considered to be a symbol of rebirth, custom, culture, festivities and celebration in various cultures of the world. In the 90’s the salmonella scare discouraged the UK population from eating eggs. There was a massive downturn in egg consumption.

However, British hens can now be vaccinated against salmonella, and have a 21 day best before date stamped on the shell and box to ensure maximum freshness as well as the ability to trace back to the laying flock. The symbol of the stamp is that of a lion. There is no difference in nutritional value between a brown egg and white egg, it is down to the different breeds of hen that laid the egg! (http://www.eggsedu.org.uk/world_of_eggs.htm)

This month’s recipe is Egg Halwa; something that is frequently eaten at festivals and celebrations. The Hindu festival of diwali is coming up on November 12^th and the Muslim festival of Eid a few days after that so I thought it appropriate to provide a recipe that is rich in flavour and a must for those non-dieters or dieters who want to cheat!! It is based on a recipe that I learnt from my mother and have amended and customised to suit my needs.  I hope you enjoy making it and more than that, eating it.
 

Recipe of the Month: Egg Halwa

Ingredients:
4 Eggs

½ cup Sugar

½ cup milk

1 cup milk powder

6-8 cardamom pods

1 ½ tbs ghee/butter

A pinch of saffron

Method:

1. Break the eggs into a dish and beat well. Add the milk, milk powder and sugar to the eggs and set aside.
   
2. In a heavy pan, heat the ghee/butter. Add in the cardamom pods.
   
3. When the pods start to crackle, add in the egg mixture.
   
4. Stir well and continuously as the mixture will stick to the bottom if left unattended.
   
5. Continue to stir until the mixture resembles cous-cous and is light and fluffy. Add in a good pinch of saffron and stir for a further couple of minutes.
   
6. Serve warm with a nice hot cup of tea.