Duck eggs with a difference!

24 Nov 2020

?????? Duck eggs with a difference! Our TY Chinese students and some brave teachers sampled a popular Chinese dish, pidan on Friday. Pidan or century eggs are made by processing duck, chicken or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months. Through the process, the yolk becomes a dark green to grey color, with a creamy consistency and strong flavor due to the hydrogen sulfide and ammonia present, while the white becomes a dark brown, translucent jelly with a salty flavor. This chemical process breaks down some of the complex, flavorless proteins and fats, which produces a variety of smaller flavorful compounds.