Preserved Eggs (松花蛋 Songhua Dan)

The proper Chinese name for preserved eggs is Songhua or Songhua Dan (pine-flower eggs) –so called because, when shelled, these solidified but semitransparent eggs show flowery patterns like pine needles in side. The more and the prettier the patterns, the higher is the quality of the egg.

Songhua are normally made of duck eggs. The traditional folk recipe was to soak the fresh eggs in quicklime mixed with salt and water. Now the eggs are soaked, for 40-60 days, in a liquid consisting of caustic soda, salt and tea leaves.

Another method followed in certain regions is to wrap the unshelled eggs individually in a clay mixture containing quicklime, salt and grain husk, and they become eatable in two to three weeks. Some Westerners have been told to call them “hundred-year-old” eggs. This is definitely an exaggerating misnomer, which has unfortunately caused some visitors to fight shy of this tasty and peculiar Chinese food.

The preserved egg, when shelled, is soft and smooth but at the same time resilient, its yolk is darkened and gelatinous.

Because of the presence of sodium hydroxide and the little amount of ammonia generated by the gee itself during the preparation, the finished egg may sometimes carry a faint alkaline or stringent taste.

This may be easily removed by a little vinegar with minced ginger root mixed in the soya sauce sprinkled on the cut pieces. This also helps to enhance the tastiness of songhua and as a matter of fact is the usual way the egg is served.