ONE EGG TO BIND THEM ALL

STRIKINGLY SIMILAR YET DELICIOUSLY DIFFERENT EGG DISHES ARE THE ARTFUL ADHESIVES THAT JOIN SO MUCH OF THE WORLD THROUGH SHARED TASTES AND TRAVELS

- JULIAN MANNING

TO WEAR A WHITE TOQUE WITH A HUNDRED PLEATS WAS THE HALLMARK OF A FULFILLED CHEF IN 19THCENTURY FRANCE, each fold in the oft footlong headgear marking the mastery of an egg dish. This kitchen crown fashioned out of starched fabric was essentially a culinary black belt, honouring those who had yoked the yolk, for eggs had long been a delectable adhesive that bound the brilliance of bright oeufs en cocette and crisp quiches. Only doyens could don a chapeau that underscored so much knowledge, their hats puffed as proudly as soufflés.

While sporting such attire may no longer be vogue, cooking with eggs has only gotten more popular since the concept was cracked at the end of the Stone Age. These days, a vast number of cultures and communities use the ingredient in deep and delightful ways, but the scope can seem overwhelming in regards to potentially outré delicacies for the uninitiated, be they the fertilised duck embryos of Southeast Asia and China or sought-after seagull spawn in England.

However, when it comes to the chicken egg, so much has been shared cross-culturally there are an artful assortment of approaches that come up with strikingly similar yet deliciously different answers across the globe. Take the shakshuka or the scotch egg, creations that have travelled and been adapted for centuries up to this very minute: oeuvres in their own right that nimbly navigate a sense of nostalgia and newness.

ALL SHOOK UP