Poultry
Egg
Eggs are one of the most adaptable ingredients in cooking, binding batters, enriching sauces, setting custards, and serving as a complete protein on their own. Yolk, white, and shell each have distinct culinary roles, while species and breed influence colour, richness, and flavour. From breakfast staples to pastry, pasta, and confectionery, eggs underpin professional and home kitchens alike. Provenance labels such as free range and organic, together with bird species, help cooks choose eggs suited to poaching, baking, or preservation.
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History
Chickens were domesticated in Southeast Asia and eggs became a reliable year-round food source as poultry spread westward.
European cookery texts documented precise egg-based sauces, custards, and pastry techniques that remain foundational today.
Large-scale poultry farming and refrigeration made eggs an inexpensive everyday protein in industrialised countries.
Free-range, organic, and specialty breed eggs gained mainstream retail presence as consumers sought higher welfare and flavour.