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? 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.
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).
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. 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! The Thousand-Year-Old Mystery Solved They look like something from a mad scientist's lab - dark green yolks suspended in translucent brown jelly with snowflake patterns. Century eggs (also called thousand-year eggs or preserved eggs) might be China's most misunderstood culinary export. But beyond their dramatic appearance lies a nutritional profile that might surprise you.
The. During the process, some chemical reaction happens, the egg white turn to transparent, and may show the snow-flake or pine-branch patterns. (in fact dendrites of various alkaline salts, according to Wiki;).
I took this picture of century egg, can you see these "pine-branch" on the surface? Century egg with pine-branch (sōnghuā 松花) patterns, caused by salt dendrites The production of century eggs involves a complex physico-chemical transformation, wherein eggs are preserved at room temperature in an alkaline pickling solution. This process converts the egg white into a transparent, yellow gel that exhibits distinctive optical and mechanical properties. Facilitated by a high.
The shell looks speckled and aged making the egg seem like it's been buried for hundreds of years. The white becomes an amber colored jelly-like substance occasionally decorated with patterns that resemble snowflakes or pine tree branches. The yolk transforms into a grayish jade, creamy center.
Perhaps the characteristic black color gave rise to the moniker "thousand-year-old" eggs, but the preserving process actually takes only weeks. In China, the snowflake patterns on the egg whites give the eggs the name songhuadan. There are several tales of how and where pidan was originated.