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Off the Beaten Path: Eggs Around the World

Travel
by Alex Nolette Sep 27, 2010
Hard boiled, poached, sunny side up or scrambled; breakfast, lunch, dinner or midnight snack: the egg is always with us. Forget what you think you know about who came first, and see what dishes the egg makes an appearance in from Latin America to Asia.
Uitsmijter: Holland

A simple dish from the Dutch. A fried egg and slice of ham are placed on a piece of bread and sprinkled with cheese.

Scotch Eggs: UK

The UK knows pub food. It was only a matter of time before someone learned how to deep fry eggs.

Apparently, the secret lies in covering a hard-boiled egg in sausage meat and breading it first. Cut it in half and it looks like a cross section of the earth.

Lomo a Lo Pobre: Chile

This Chilean dish speaks to the heart of all Americans. If a loin-cut of steak topped with 2 fried eggs playing comforter on a bed of fried onions doesn’t wake you up hungry, the generous serving of golden french fries probably will.

Chivito: Uruguay

This lunchtime sandwich in Uruguay should not be compared to your processed turkey and cheese on white. Thinly sliced filet mignon is served on a bun with mayo, olives, mozzarella, tomatoes, bacon, lettuce, and either a hard-boiled or fried egg. Pure class!

Chorrillana: Chile

Very similar to Lomo a Lo Pobre, Chorrillana is another Chilean dish that will ping the glutton sensor in your brain and put you right to bed. It’s fajita-style beef, sauteed with eggs and onions served up on a bushel of fries.

Huevos Rancheros: Mexico

Although this dish has become very Americanized through Tex-mex styling, huevos rancheros is actually a very traditional Mexican breakfast dish. At its core, it’s just fried eggs on fried corn tortillas covered in salsa.

Croque-Madame: France

I’ll give it to France, they have a way of making simple dishes into culinary art. The croque-madame is a regular grilled cheese sandwich with ham, topped off with a fried egg.

Hamburger Schnitzel: Austria

The Austrian schnitzel is famous because of it’s funny name. It’s basically just a flattened piece of meat (usually veal) that is breaded and fried. A hamburger schnitzel takes it to the next level by adding a fried egg to the top.

Egg Tart: China

In Hong Kong, eggs are a staple of traditional dessert. Pastry crust is filled with sweetened egg custard and can be found at many Asian bakeries the world over.

Chakchouka: Algeria

This dish is popular in Northern Africa and has made its way to Israel where it’s eaten as breakfast. A spicy tomato sauce with peppers simmers up and the eggs are poached in the sauce.

More eggs! Onward!

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