Poultry
Marans
A tier
Marans eggs are famous for deep chocolate-brown shells from the French Marans breed—the colour is cosmetic, but the eggs themselves are medium to large with a robust, savoury hen flavour beloved of specialty cartons. Dark-egg genetics make them a farmers’ market star. Cook as any quality chicken egg; the shell’s drama is the marketing hook, while pasture diets improve yolk. Copper-black Marans lines often lay the darkest shells.
Also known as: Oeuf de Marans, Marans dark egg
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History
Marans fowl around La Rochelle were selected for dark brown eggs.
French standards emphasised egg colour intensity for Marans.
American keepers imported Marans for dark-egg markets.
Marans cartons became premium brown-egg icons worldwide.