Salted duck egg
traditional Asian dish common in several regions
A salted duck egg is a Chinese preserved food product made by soaking duck eggs in brine or packing each egg in damp, salted charcoal. From the salt curing process, the salted duck eggs have a briny aroma, a gelatin-like egg white, and a firm-textured, round yolk that is bright orange-red.
Salted duck eggs are normally boiled or steamed before being peeled and eaten as a condiment to congee or cooked with other foods as a flavoring. The egg white has a sharp, salty taste. The orange-red yolk is rich, fatty, and less salty. The yolk is prized and is used in Chinese mooncakes to symbolize the moon.
Salted eggs can also be made from chicken eggs, though the taste and texture will be somewhat different, and the egg yolk will be less rich.
Besides being sold covered in a thick layer of salted charcoal paste, the eggs may also be sold with the salted paste removed, wrapped in plastic, and vacuum-packed.
Salted eggs sold in the Philippines undergo a similar curing process, with some variation in ingredients used. They are dyed red (hence called itlog na pula or ‘red eggs' in English) to distinguish them from fresh duck eggs.
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