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
Or, why not try..
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.
----------------------------------
Images: International Egg Commission, Kominfo, Arief Rahardjo, Dewi Untari, Maira Niode