The Pilgrim's Pots and Pans

I love eggs! From simple sandwiches to sumptuous dinners, eggs are always in my meals and even in the occasional street food indulgence. Eggs are not just convenient but also a comfort food for me. There is something soothing about eating something familiar yet filling. Well, today is a perfect time to honour this protein-rich wonder food on World Egg Day 2024! 

Every year, on the second Friday of October, this international event is celebrated to raise global awareness on the benefits of eggs as an inexpensive and highly nutritious food source with the potential to help feed the world. 

This year’s theme “United by Eggs” celebrates how the humble yet mighty egg can connect and unite people from all corners of the globe. How? Eggs are a universal pantry staple found in many civilisations through the ages. By going through our own recipes and showing how we eat eggs, we share the food traditions of our cultures. 

Common in many Asian communities are cured eggs. But specific to Filipinos, are salted duck eggs. In the Philippines, these are sold in public markets and groceries either dyed bright red or with markings to distinguish them from chicken eggs. They are ready-to-eat, pre-cooked by boiling after weeks of curing in a mixture of clay, salt, and rice hull. In my province of Pampanga, we know them by several names – ebun buru which is Capampangan for fermented eggs, ebun malat meaning salted eggs, or ebun malutu – which means red eggs. Those terms are used interchangeably and sometimes, I find it amusing that one can buy ebun malutu that are not actually red. Of course, the taste is not affected whether the shells are dyed or not.

One of my favourite quick no-cook meals on busy days is a plate of rice, salted duck eggs and fresh tomatoes. That is as basic as it gets. It’s already satisfying on its own although I also eat it with soup and fish on not-so-busy days. The eggs and tomatoes combination can also be built on as a salad with more substantial meals. It is not uncommon to find this on buffet tables in upscale restaurants.

These multi-purpose salted eggs are also cooked into other dishes and even as enrichment to rice cakes. Several years ago, it became a trend to always have salted eggs baked into ensaymada and bibingka, too!

Salted duck eggs are simple, healthy, tasty, and satisfying Filipino food we can share with everyone. Happy World Egg Day!

#WorldEggDay #EggsForUnity #UnitedByEggs #EggNutrition #ebunburu #itlognamaalat #FilipinoFood #Pampanga