Snowflake Pattern On Century Egg

So I buy century eggs and I open 2 today. They had some kind of snowflake pattern on the outer of the "white". There were also some white spots that don't exactly scream mold.

In one of them, the white stuff had some kind of exploding pattern inside the white. The egg shell was not cracked before I cut the plastic casing. Is the egg bad?

What formed the beautiful patterns that look like snowflakes or pine flower on century eggs? I will like to about the chemical reaction involved. Thanks. With its deep amber shade and a glassy exterior amidst the distinctive patterns of fractals resembling snowflakes, the classic century egg is an object of fascination as it is a cause of dread.

A surgically cut and finely cut piece of the egg reveals additional intrigue: a molten yolk with the rich texture of chocolate ganache. It's tipped with a light dusty olive around the edges and a dark. With its dark amber hue and glassy exterior marked by the telltale tendrils of snowflake-like fractals, the typical century egg is as much a thing of wonder as it is an object of disgust.

Sliced. Eventually, the egg white turns into a dark amber, translucent jelly, whereas the yolk gains a greyish green colour and a soft, creamy texture (sometimes runny and gooey in the middle). Another interesting feature is the pine branch (or snowflake) pattern on the surface of the egg white (You might see century eggs with a yellow appearance.

They are preserved chicken eggs rather than duck eggs). Witness a Chinese grandma masterfully prepare Songhua Pidan (Pine Flower Century Eggs) using her family's traditional, multi. Below are pictures to show you what it looks like inside.

It is not unusual to see a pine or snowflake pattern on the egg. 1) Crack the shell open like how you would a hard boiled egg. I knock it in several places before peeling.

2) Rinse the egg before slicing. 3) It's very gooey in the center. Clean the knife before slicing again.

4) Now, it is ready to be served and eaten! Century eggs are made by putting eggs into a mix of cement, ash, and lime, and letting the mixture preserve the eggs for a number of weeks or months. The preserved eggs have a brown shell with snowflake-like patterns, a rich brown egg white, and a bright green yolk.

The taste of century eggs has been compared to strong cheese. Century eggs (Chinese: 皮蛋; pinyin: pídàn; Jyutping: pei4 daan2), also known as alkalized or preserved eggs, are a Chinese dish made by preserving duck, chicken, or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls for several weeks to several months, depending on the processing method. Century eggs are also chopped and added to rice dishes, soups, stir-fries, congee dishes, and other culinary specialties.

Still, century eggs are an acquired taste outside the palates of most westerners. However, keep in mind that in 2021, Chinese people consumed about 2.8 million tons of Songhua eggs (century eggs with the pine pattern).