Recipe: Giving Thanks First Nations Three Sisters Skillet Casserole

Hi! I'm an Egg!

"Specifically, I'm a chicken egg! Of course, there are eggs from all sorts of other creatures, but humans primarily eat the eggs of fowls, mostly chickens. Although, they will eat the eggs of ducks, geese, and even ostriches (the same as 24 chicken eggs!). Some people also eat reptile eggs and fish eggs (think caviar!)."

History

• Some animals reproduce by laying eggs (or reproductive cells). These animals include fish, reptiles, insects, a few mammals, like the platypus, and birds, including ducks and chickens. 
• What came first? The chicken or the egg? Were chickens first domesticated for their meat, or were they raised to gather their eggs for food? When early man first began raising chickens sometime before 7500 BCE, it may have been for their eggs. 
• Eggs used to be carried in baskets. The first egg carton was invented in 1911 by Joseph Coyle, a newspaper editor from British Columbia, Canada, to solve a dispute involving broken eggs delivered in a basket. His design was improved upon in 1921 by Morris Koppelman, and then in 1931, Francis H Sherman of Massachusetts developed a carton from pressed paper pulp similar to what we use today. Egg cartons can hold 12, 18, or 30 eggs.
• The white Leghorn chicken is commonly used for laying white eggs, and the Rhode Island Red and New Hampshire Red breeds, both reddish brown, are the primary sources of brown eggs.
• The brown-colored egg tends to be more expensive than its white counterpart, usually because the hens laying brown eggs are larger and eat more feed, increasing costs to the farm. Other than color, there is no difference between a white and brown egg.

Anatomy 

• Chicken eggs contain a yellow yolk, semi-transparent white, and an outer protective shell. A membrane (film layer) lines the eggshell; however, it is usually not visible unless you peel a boiled egg.  
• The egg yolk provides the most nutrients for a developing embryo because it has more protein than the white. The yolk also contains all the fat and more vitamins, especially fat-soluble vitamins.
• The egg white or albumen is about 90 percent water and contains no fat or cholesterol. It protects the yolk and is also a source of protein and a few vitamins for an embryo.
• Chicken eggshell membranes can be used as a dietary supplement. The membranes are made up mostly of fibrous collagen type 1 fibers. 
• According to the USDA, the eggshell comprises about 94 percent calcium carbonate and some additional elements, including protein. The calcium carbonate from eggshells is used as a dietary calcium supplement for people who do not get enough calcium from their food. 
• There are 7 to 17,000 tiny pores on the shell surface, with a greater number at the large end. As the egg ages, these minute holes permit moisture and carbon dioxide to move out and air to move in to form the air cell. The egg can also absorb refrigerator odors through the pores, so always refrigerate eggs in their cartons.

How to Buy & Eat

• You can buy eggs from farm stands and at grocery stores. Always open the lid of a carton and check the eggs you want to purchase to avoid buying eggs with cracked or broken eggshells that would have to be thrown away. Any bacteria present on the eggshell could enter through a crack and contaminate the egg inside.
• Aside from their color, brown and white eggs are the same in every way, including taste and nutrition, so choose eggs based on price and quality, not on color. 
• The three grades of eggs that determine the quality of the egg and condition of the shell are: Grade AA, A, and B. According to the USDA, Grade AA eggs have thick and firm whites and yolks that are high, round, and practically free from defects, with clean, unbroken shells. Grade AA and A eggs are preferred when frying or poaching. You would seldom find Grade B eggs in stores because they are mostly used to make liquid, frozen, and dried egg products. 
• Various types of eggs are available at the grocery store, and some are more expensive than others. These include eggs from hens raised outside a cage but not necessarily outdoors (cage-free) or allowed to roam free outdoors in a pasture (pasture-raised). 
• Eggs contain some omega-3 fatty acids, but eggs labeled as high in omega-3 fatty acids have more due to flaxseed or fish oil being added to the hens' diets. Other eggs are labeled "organic" if the hens are not raised in a cage, can access the outdoors, are fed organic feed, and are not given hormones or antibiotics. "Vegetarian" eggs are from hens that do not eat feed containing animal by-products. 
• Store eggs in the refrigerator to keep them fresher, as they will age faster at room temperature.
• Eggs are available year-round to provide delicious meals on their own and as an essential ingredient for the many baked goods and sauces that would never be the same without them.
• Eggs are enormously versatile. The chef's hat, called a "toque" (pronounced "tōk"), is said to have a pleat for each of the many ways you can cook eggs.
• You can tell whether an egg is raw or hard-boiled by spinning it. Because the liquids have set into a solid, a hard-boiled egg will easily spin. On the other hand, the moving fluids in a raw egg will cause it to wobble.
• Whole eggs are eaten soft or hard-boiled, fried, or poached, or they are added to cake and other batters. Egg yolks are used in pasta, sauces, fruit curds, crème brûlée, and ice cream. Egg whites are part of meringues, angel food cakes, French macarons, and coconut macaroons. You can also use whipped egg whites to leaven (raise) a cake.  

Nutrition

• A large, boiled egg is a good source of low-cost, high-quality protein, providing 12.6 grams with only 78 calories. 
• Eggs are rich in vitamin B12 and riboflavin (B2) and supply varying amounts of many other nutrients, including a wide variety of other vitamins and minerals. In addition, the yolk contains a higher percentage of an egg's vitamins than the white, including all of the vitamins A, D, E, and K. 
• Egg yolks are one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D. They also have choline. This essential nutrient benefits your brain, nervous system, liver function, and cardiovascular system.
• Some people have an allergy or food intolerance to eggs, especially egg whites. It is one of the most common allergies in babies but is often outgrown during childhood.