Gaji Century Egg

Gaji Century Egg

　　Century egg, also known as pine-flower egg or preserved egg, is a famous traditional Chinese delicacy. According to Wang Shixiong’s *Sui Xi Ju Yin Shi Pu*, “Century eggs have a pungent, astringent, sweet, and salty flavor; they can reduce internal heat, relieve hangovers, clear large intestine fire, treat diarrhea, and have both dispersing and consolidating properties.” Traditional Chinese medicine believes that century eggs have a cooling nature and can help with ailments such as eye pain, toothache, high blood pressure, tinnitus, and dizziness. They are suitable for general consumption, especially beneficial for those with excessive internal heat.

　　Century eggs are found everywhere, so why is the Gaji century egg so renowned and esteemed both at home and abroad? The local environment shapes the people who live there. Gaji is located in a remote part of Huili County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province. With its beautiful mountains and clear waters, pleasant climate, fertile land, and abundant water sources, ducks can often be seen freely wandering and swimming happily in the canals and rice fields. The pristine, unpolluted environment produces high-quality duck eggs, while the unique soil and water give rise to special local vegetation. Hundreds of years ago, locals, using ancestral techniques, carefully selected fresh, high-quality, unpolluted duck eggs from the area. They mixed materials such as lye, lime, salt, and farm-produced plant ash in appropriate proportions, formed a mud mixture, and coated the quality duck eggs. These were then sealed for 8–12 days and air-dried for 1–3 days to create the final product. This method ensures the century eggs are lead-free while preserving their distinctive local flavor and texture.

　　The yolk of a Gaji century egg is orange-red and glossy, while the white has a semi-transparent brown, solidified appearance that is highly elastic. It boasts a fragrant taste with a rich aftertaste. The surface is scattered with pine-branch-like patterns, and the shell is easy to peel without sticking. When cut open, the egg reveals colorful, bright, and translucent sections. It has a deliciously smooth, refreshing taste that is savory yet not greasy, awakening the appetite and stimulating the desire to eat. It also offers notable medicinal benefits.

　　Currently, many farmers in Gaji Township are producing lead-free century eggs, among which “He Century Eggs” and “Chen Century Eggs” are the most well-known. Today, Gaji century eggs have become a popular gift item from Huili. Merchants from across the Panxi region compete to purchase them, and demand far outstrips supply.