Though the average Chinese consumes only a
third as many eggs as the average American,
and though most of those eggs are chicken
eggs, China is renowned for its preserved
duck eggs, including the “thousand-year-old”
eggs. These and plain salt-preserved eggs
come from the duck-rich southern provinces,
where they made it possible to transport eggs
to distant markets and store them for months
during the off season. The proteins and
membranes of chicken eggs are less suited to
some of these treatments.
Salted Eggs The simplest method for
preserving eggs is to treat them with salt,
which draws the water out of bacteria and
molds and inhibits their growth. The eggs are
immersed in a 35% salt solution, or coated
individually with a paste of salt, water, and
clay or mud. After 20 or 30 days, the egg
stops absorbing salt and reaches chemical
equilibrium. Strangely, the white remains