Demystifying China’s century eggs

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Full of lead, soaked in horse urine, covered in mud for 1,000 years – these are some of the false myths that have made century eggs one of the most misunderstood ingredients in Chinese cuisine. Today, a huge range of dishes are made around the country using the black, gelatinous eggs. Post reporter Lisa Cam spoke with chefs in Hong Kong to understand the best ways to enjoy this polarising ingredient, and how some chefs are putting a new spin on century eggs with innovative dishes.

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[bomi]

I actually had that today in my congee! It's definitely an acquired taste and you either love it or don't if you can get past the look and smell.
I know it's not for everyone but I appreciate those who are willing to give it a try 😆

[wlsn]

Congee with century eggs and pork is amazing.

[dennischen]

1) It's an acquired taste
2) It's meant to complement with other flavors, for example it can be eaten raw dipped in black vinegar or famously prepared with pork and congee..

[karlsonchee]

Alot of foreigners have bad impression of century eggs because they eat the egg by itself. Which is not how you eat them because the taste is very strong (even we Asian don't eat like this). It's meant to be mixed with something else. One of the most popular combination is with porridge.

[ciel]

I love the way the interview went, two languages at the same time for the global communiy

[allensagalla]

Indeed, I miss eating century eggs. It's been a few years ago since I last tasted one. I also get it when some folks don't like century eggs, durian, balut, pickled herring, marmite/vegemite, etc. For me it's more like not being aware or familiar that there's such a food that folks in other countries enjoy 🙂

[classiccasualgaming]

Many foreigners ate the whole egg in one go. No wonder they think it is disgusting. The smell would be unbearable. 😂

[wym]

In porridge or with cucumber- the taste is incredible.

[bobbymoss]

Tastes great when crushed and put into porridge.

[antoniorocha]

For the comparison, same goes to moldy italian cheese, different cultures different culnary taste.

[ambition]

0:00: 🥚Century eggs, a polarizing ingredient, are often considered disgusting but many people love them for their unique flavor.
2:14: Poor quality century eggs can have a strong ammonia odor.
3:55: 🥚The century egg is a unique and flavorful ingredient used in both savory and sweet dishes, with a mysterious origin story.
5:00: The century egg was accidentally discovered in a tea house during the Ming Dynasty, when the owner found eggs covered in ash and realized they were edible.
5:35: TCM practitioner Sam explains the benefits and properties of the century egg.
8:20: 🥚he chef wanted to create a century egg dish with a more consistent texture and less ammonia flavor.
8:26: They experimented with different century eggs from Hong Kong but found inconsistencies.
9:05: The century egg has been misunderstood and even considered disgusting by some.
Recap by Tammy AI

[JackY-tzrs]

It’s an acquired taste; and one of those food in the world that you would have to grow up with to appreciate.

Just to name a few…Natto, Surströmming, Balut, Marmite, even Durian, and the list goes on….

[jaker]

Century eggs are less daunting than balut eggs.

[Der_Kleine_Mann]

"Regular" Pickled Herring isn't bad at all. We also like it here in Germany.
It's only the Surströmming one that most people would find disgusting.

[AllenAllanAlan]

Thanks for the demystification. I like the ones served at Yung Kee the most. It's an acquired taste, but I think it's much easier to 'accept' compared to natto, stinky tofu, vegemite and durian.

[lukasloh]

It is my favorite. I treated it like a salted egg when I put it in my dish. But of course the best is it with congee

[reaganation]

I guess like durian, is a very subjective food where you must be exposed to since childhood to enjoy

[tonpianchorb]

I followed your clip well until it started to talk about yin yang energy. You lost me there.

[Sjalabais]

The whole premise of getting hurt by the museum admission is a misunderstanding. It's an honour! Sweden's "surströmning" is famously disgusting, but it's also traditionally conserved food. Highlighting special traditions like this is great, even if they call it "disgusting".

[ickleronny]

This is great. I learned a lot from this video, even though I've been eating century eggs for years. Those chefs are amazing too. I've never seen those colours before.