All In Good Taste / April 2006
Eggs at Easter
Eggs have been celebrated almost since the beginning of time as a symbol of fertility, creation and new life. Ancient Persian and Celtic cultures celebrated the spring equinox with the gift of red-dyed eggs, sharing the eggs at a meal, and afterwards, carefully crushing the shells in a ritual to drive away winter.
The ban of eating eggs during the 46 days of Lent established in the 9th century, is what made the egg so popular at Easter. The eggs were collected and saved and, once fasting was over, distributed to the servants and children, who generally enjoyed them in a huge Easter omelet. As the practice became more refined, the nobility joined in, using the last days of winter to decorate eggs to give to their beloved, or to the king. By the 16th century, springtime eggs were the rage at the French court and some were decorated by great artists of the day. While France’s lords and ladies painted their coats of arms on the eggs they gave at Easter, peasants and merchants dipped their freshly laid eggs in colored wax, which also preserved the egg.
Easter eggs reached their pinnacle at the court of the Czar of Russia. The most important feast of the Russian Orthodox church calendar is Easter, celebrated with exchanging of eggs and three kisses. Czar Alexander III and his wife Czarina Maria Fedorovna celebrated their twentieth anniversary on Easter in 1885, so the Czar commissioned a young jeweler favored by his wife to make a very special gift to present for her. On Easter morning, Carl Faberge delivered an enameled egg with a golden yoke. Inside the yoke was a golden hen, and inside the hen, a miniature royal crown of diamonds and a ruby egg. Maria was so charmed by the gift, the Czar engaged Faberge to make a unique egg every Easter thereafter with a surprise befitting of an Empress. Faberge came through, year after year, taking inspiration from the lives of the Czar and his wife. The Danish Palaces egg of 1891, covered in translucent pink enamel and, encrusted with jewels and gold leaf contained a series of 10 screens with tiny portraits of palaces and houses where Maria had lived as a Danish princess before marrying Alexander.
After the Czar’s death in 1894, his son, Nicholas II, took the throne, and continued the tradition of the Faberge egg for his mother, plus one for his wife, Alexandra.
Fifty-six Imperial Faberge eggs were made in all, and of those forty-four are accounted for and two others have been photographed. Faberge Easter eggs were also commissioned by Siberian gold mine owner, Alexander Kelch, but the Imperial Easter egg collection is the most highly valued.
Today, hand-decorated eggs are exchanged as springtime gifts in many cultures around the world and play an important role in religious ceremonies on Easter morning.
In the United States, rolling eggs on the Monday after Easter was a tradition observed by many early Washington families, including those of Presidents Lincoln and Grant. Public egg-rolling celebrations on the grounds of the Capitol were reported in 1872. Over the years, egg rolls evolved into elaborate affairs, with bands, entertainers, and food. In 1974 the egg-rolling race, was introduced with spoons borrowed from the White House kitchen.
A display of decorated eggs from each state become another national tradition since 1994. Local artists create decorated eggs, representing each state and the District of Columbia. The 2005 Easter Egg Collection continues the tradition that began in 1994 where each state sends a decorated egg to the White House for display. Local artists created the decorated eggs, which represent each state and the District of Columbia. The collection is coordinated by the American Egg Board.
Egg-zactly
Eggs, unique in that they contain nearly every nutrient known to be essential to humans, have often been considered a perfect food.
The egg white consists mainly of high-quality protein. The egg yolk provides vitamins A, D, E, B12, riboflavin, folic acid, iron, zinc and phosphorus.
About 240 million laying hens produce approximately 5.5 billion dozen eggs each year in the United States.
A hen requires 24 to 26 hours to produce an egg. Thirty minutes later, she starts all over again.
Egg and Potato Confetti Nibbles
Secretary of State Betty Ireland
with a new voter machine. |
20 small round red potatoes
1/2 cup bottled reduced-fat
ranch-style dressing
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon dried OR
1 tablespoon fresh dill weed
6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped
green onions with tops
1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
Place potatoes covered in water in large saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain. Cool. Cut each potato in half and cut a small slice off each bottom to level. Scoop out center of each potato half, leaving a firm shell. Set aside. Coarsely chop potato centers. Set aside. In medium bowl, mix salad dressing and seasonings until well blended. Stir in eggs, onions, red pepper, and reserved potato centers until evenly coated. Fill shells with about 2 tablespoons of salad mixture. Cover, chill and serve. Makes 40 appetizers.
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