It's World Egg Day

Posted by OmarTarakiNiodeFoundation
11 October 2012 | blogpost
This year World Egg Day is Friday 12th October. The day was first initiated by the International Egg Commission  in 1996 to help raise awareness of the benefits of eggs. It has then been celebrated across the world every year on the second Friday in October.

There are a thousand topics on eggs, not to mention the benefits. To celebrate the day we would like to touch upon eggs for use in food, drink, rituals and ceremonies

Food and Drink

Kerak Telor

An egg crust dish, kerak telor is Jakarta’s traditional food in the form of an omelet. You can always find kerak telor vendors in festivals or parades around Jakarta, especially when the whole city is celebrating its birthday in June. This savory snack is made of eggs and glutinous rice. A recipe of kerak telor is available here. 

Telur pindang

Telur pindang, Indonesian marbled hard-boiled egg, is a tasty egg preserved by herbs and guava leaves. Telur pindang as a side dish of tumpeng, rice cone, is mostly available in weddings or Independence Day celebrations.

A recipe worth trying is here, but we advised against using food coloring, as the guava leaves and the herbs made for the distinctive taste.

STMJ 

STMJ is the Indonesian acronym of a prepared drink consists of milk, eggs, honey and ginger. STMJ is considered a street drink; popular for those who regularly burn the midnight oil. If you feel like you are catching a cold, STMJ will bring you back to your old self.

Adjusted recipe of STMJ from Mama Yuki Easy Pantsy here is very easy to prepare.

Rituals and Ceremonies

A number of rituals in Indonesia, as in many parts of the world, use egg as an important element.

In some parts of Indonesia, during the Chinese celebration of Dragon Boat Festival, contestants enter eggs standing competition.  It is believed that making a raw egg stand on this day, especially at mid-day will bring luck for the next year. Egg standing record was awarded to the city of Medan in North Sumatera when at the Bakcang and Barongsai Festival in North Sumatera, there were 999 standing eggs.

In Gorontalo, a coming of age ritual for a girl involves cracking an egg and put it in her two hands. An elder will look at the egg yolk and predict whether the girl will find her soul mate soon or wait for a long time.  Afterwards the girl will have to swallow the raw egg.

In Central Java, a wedding ceremony requires the groom to step on an egg surrounded by decorative flowers. The bride has to clean the mess as a symbol of devotion. Practicality has changed the format a bit as the egg is now covered by plastic to avoid slipping.

Egg-cetera

To help to get you in the mood, and start making plans, even for activities beyond World Egg Day, the International Egg Commission lists some activities that have been done in the past

  • National cook-off to find the nation’s or the community’s fastest omelet maker.
  • Family festivals to enjoy eggs – egg drawing competitions, recipe contests and cooking competitions, as well as music and entertainment
  • Recipe books containing a selection of delicious recipes using eggs.
  • YouTube video, starring eggs in the lead role.
  • Shopping Center cooking demonstrations and cook-offs. 
  • Nutritional seminars explaining the benefits of eggs.
  • Eat good – Do good. For every goodwill pledge made on a website, Egg Farmers donate eggs to the hungry.
  • Egg dishes delivered to radio and TV stations.

 Or, why not try..

  • Organizing events for school and pre-school children.  Encourage children to have fun with eggs, while teaching them about the nutritional benefits.
  • School cooking competitions, which can create the best recipe incorporating eggs, or cook the tastiest dish?
  • Produce recipe cards for community groups, e.g. antenatal groups, parent & toddler groups – a voucher for money off a carton of eggs.

With the help of the International Egg Commission and international egg associations from around the world, the international egg industry has pledged to work with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, food organizations and developing nations to help to feed the world’s growing population, and make eggs available to everyone.

Whether you celebrate World Egg Day every year, or this will be your first time, get cracking and help to make this World Egg Day the biggest and the best ever.

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Images: International Egg Commission, Kominfo, Arief Rahardjo, Dewi Untari, Maira Niode