Salted Duck Eggs from Dongping Lake

Salted Duck Eggs from Dongping Lake

　　Salted duck eggs from Dongping Lake are made from high-quality eggs laid by the local Matou ducks of Dongping Lake, using a unique production process that combines traditional techniques with modern food processing standards. They are one of the nationally renowned export food products.

　　These salted duck eggs are large in size, with shells that are white or light green. When cracked open, the egg whites are snow-white and the yolks are a bright red. After salting, they are rich in oil, with a well-balanced saltiness. Their characteristics include: when boiled and cut open, the red yolk and white albumen create a beautiful contrast, the texture is rich and tender, and the flavor is deliciously salty and savory. Because they are made from the eggs of Dongping Lake Matou ducks, they are also called “Red-Yolk Matou Duck Eggs.”

　　Laohu Town is a concentrated production area for Matou duck eggs. The town currently has over 20 salted duck egg processing factories, producing approximately 30 million salted duck eggs annually. Among them, the “Jinyuan” brand five-spice salted duck eggs produced in Huanghuayuan Village are the most famous.

　　Shang Shi, the Sage of Cooking, Yi Yin, once said: “Among the three groups of animals, those living in water are fishy, those that catch meat are gamey, and those that eat grass are rank.” Ducks are waterfowl, and their eggs have a rather strong fishy smell. However, after salting and cooking, the fishiness completely disappears, leaving behind a delicious and fragrant taste.

　　The history of salting duck eggs in Dongping dates back a long time. As early as the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, there were already relatively complete written records on salting duck eggs. The “Qimin Yaoshu” (Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People) states: “Soak duck eggs for a month before eating. Boil and consume them; they can be used with wine or other foods. When the brine is salty enough, the eggs will float.” This indicates that salted duck eggs can be enjoyed with alcohol or as a side dish. The famous author of the “Compendium of Materia Medica,” Li Shizhen, said: “It is commonly believed that children suffering from dysentery may recover occasionally if they eat foul-smelling salted duck eggs. This is because duck meat can treat dysentery, and fried salt can also treat bloody dysentery.” This suggests that salted duck eggs are beneficial to health and can treat certain gastrointestinal ailments. Precisely because of these many benefits, along with their low price and easy availability, they have “flown into the homes of ordinary people” and become a popular delicacy among common folk.

　　Dongping Lake Matou ducks, due to their diet of fish and shrimp in the water and rice and wild millet in the fields, have a high egg-laying rate, large egg size, fine egg quality, abundant yolk oil, and an average weight of about 105 grams per egg—about 30 grams heavier than ordinary duck eggs. When salted and boiled, and then cut open, the egg whites are as smooth and white as jade, and the yolks resemble flowing orange-red tangerines. Su Dongpo, the great poet of the Song Dynasty, once remarked that they are “an occasional delight on the dining table,” expressing his heartfelt admiration.

　　The basic method for making salted duck eggs from Dongping Lake is as follows:

　　Take 50 duck eggs and wash them clean. In a container, pour 4,000 grams of cool boiled water, add 500 grams of coarse salt, along with seasonings such as fennel, star anise, and cooking wine. Arrange the duck eggs in the container. Let them pickle for about 15 days before they are ready to eat.