In Europe, eggs were forbidden during the traditional period of Lent and were often hard-boiled to preserve them. As a result, they featured in many Easter feasts once Lent was over. At Easter nowadays, eggs tend to be of the chocolate variety. But if you’re looking for some traditional Easter fun, check out these five things to do with eggs.
See-through eggs
Place a raw white hen’s egg into a jar and cover with white vinegar. Leave for 24 hours, then pour out the vinegar and top with fresh vinegar. Leave the egg soaking in the vinegar for a further seven days. When the week is up, the vinegar will have eaten away at the calcium in the shell, leaving the membrane intact. You can then pick up the egg and watch the yolk slosh around inside. Be careful though – if the membrane breaks, the raw egg will ooze out. So make sure you try this over the sink.
Painted Easter eggs
Did you know that the first Easter eggs were not made of chocolate, but rather were painted chicken eggs? Here’s how to make your own traditional Easter decorations: First, remove the yolk and egg white from the egg. To do this poke a hole in each end with a pin or thin metal skewer and wriggle it around inside to break up the membrane. Blow on one end and allow the yolk to drip out the other. Once the eggshell is completely empty wash carefully with a mix of water and vinegar, making sure the mixture fills the egg as well as washing the outside. Leave to dry overnight. Next it’s time to decorate. You have a number of options when decorating. You can start by leaving the eggs covered in bowls of dye, or boiling them with onion skins to colour the shells. Or you could just paint them. Whatever you do, remember to place newspaper and wear an apron – this activity can get messy.
Rocky Mountain Toast
You’ve heard of eggs on toast, but what about eggs in toast? Known as egg in a basket, bird’s nest, toad in a hole, one-eyed monsters and moon eggs, this delicious dish is a great way to combine your eggs and toast into one easy-to-eat meal. Simply cut a hole in a piece of bread with the end of a standard water glass, put the bread into a frying pan with some butter over a low heat, crack an egg into the hole, and cook on both sides.
Egg in a bottle
Take a peeled hardboiled egg, a glass bottle with a mouth slightly smaller than the diameter of the egg (an old milk bottle is traditional), a match and piece of paper. Light the piece of paper on fire, drop it into the bottle, and quickly place the egg’s narrow end on top of the bottle. The air inside the bottle will heat up, increasing the air pressure inside the bottle. This will cause the egg to ‘jump’ as the hot air rushes out. When the air cools down to room temperature, the pressure inside the bottle will become less than the air pressure on the outside, and the egg will be sucked in.
Devilled eggs
Devilled eggs make a fantastic finger-food treat. Hard boil some eggs and allow to cool (this can be fast-tracked by running under cold water). Next peel the eggs and slice in half lengthways with a sharp knife. Gently remove the yolks and place in a bowl with some mustard, mayonnaise, tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Mash the ingredients together with a fork, then spoon the mixture back into the empty egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika.
Tip: To make your eggs look prettier, put the yolk mixture into a plastic bag, cut one corner off, and pipe the mixture back into the egg whites.
