Turtle eggs

Description

Turtle eggs are round, spherical in shape with a soft, leathery white shell. Inside the egg, there is a chicken-like yolk, and the white has a gelatinous consistency.

In cooking, chiefs use eggs only from aquatic turtles. These turtles lay their clutches from April to May’s end in the sand on South America’s shores, the Mediterranean countries, and New Zealand.

These masonries are always under the threat of ruin. Locals take several eggs from the turtle’s clutch and always leave some for reproduction. Poachers are another matter: they unceremoniously take everything, which is up to 200 eggs in a clutch.

Therefore, some countries have banned the collection of turtle eggs at all. Sometimes tourists are surprised that law enforcement officers, sometimes in a harsh manner, ask them to leave the beach. They themselves do not even know that they have come very close to the place of eggs laying.

Use in culinary

In oriental cuisine, these eggs have been popular for a long time, while in Europe, this delicacy is exotic, expensive, and rare.

In Malaysian cuisine, turtle eggs are a traditional national dish. On the Atlantic Ocean islands, locals eat such eggs wrapped in bamboo leaves and baked over a fire. Some coastal tribes may melt turtle egg oil, and after that, use it for food.

From loggerhead turtle eggs, chefs make desserts. The centuries-old culinary experience allows you to create recipes for cakes, sweets, muffins, cakes, and cookies using these eggs. Perhaps this is because there is more yolk in the eggs of turtles than in bird eggs.

Eating such eggs in European restaurants, buying them in stores, or purchasing them in specialized markets is almost impossible. You can try them only when traveling to Cuba or Malaysia. Many Cuban restaurants serve baked eggs, and in Cuba, they also add such eggs to baked goods.

The fact that real pirates in ancient times had such eggs in their diet adds the dish some more exotics.

Interesting facts about turtle eggs

Eggs of these amphibians are credited with aphrodisiac properties. But this fact, which came from the depths of centuries, remains unverified. Perhaps people thought so because turtle eggs are difficult to obtain, and their cost is high. And even more so, today, such a fate of eggs will jeopardize the entire population of ocean and sea turtles.

Today, many species of turtle populations are on the verge of extinction. There is even such a practice in some places: farmers buy poaching catches of turtle eggs, and again lay them in clutches hoping that turtles will hatch from them.

The composition and calorie content of turtle eggs

Calorie content
The calorie content is 150 kcal.

A turtle egg contains 10 g of protein, 12 g of fat, 0.8 g of carbohydrates, 70 g of water, 1.5 g of ash. The yolk contains vitamins E, groups B, A, and D.

Benefits

The benefits of turtle eggs are due to the presence of vitamins and minerals. The yolk contains vitamin E, responsible for the skin’s beauty, and vitamin A, which is necessary for vision. Vitamin D in this food reduces the risk of osteoporosis in adults and rickets in children.

There are B vitamins in these eggs, which have a positive effect on the body’s activity as a whole and primarily on the nervous system. This product contains other beneficial substances that normalize the cardiovascular system’s activity and improve hair, nails, and teeth.

In terms of minerals, turtle eggs contain iron, which promotes blood formation and reduces blood clots’ risk. There is also magnesium in this food, which improves the activity of the heart muscle. Due to the presence of calcium strengthens the bone tissue.

With regular use, metabolic processes, memory, performance, and tone of the whole organism improve. The protein found in eggs of turtles improves cell renewal and strengthens the immune system.

Thanks to scientific experiments, the unique properties of turtle eggs have been proven. This food is best for use after radiation therapy or when receiving a large amount of radiation.

Besides, the substances contained in this food stimulate the activity of the bone marrow. In oriental medicine, eggs oа turtles are good for the manufacture of medicines. They are good for use in the presence of problems with blood circulation, exhaustion, and mental disorders.

The harm of turtle eggs and contraindications

Turtle eggs can be harmful to people with individual intolerance to the product. You should also bear in mind that they have fairly high-calorie content. Therefore, it is a bad idea to use them in large quantities during the period of weight loss and obesity.

Healing properties of eggs

Following the latest scientific research, unique properties of turtle eggs have been identified. The specific composition of eggs helps to fight the consequences of radiation sickness in people who have received radiation exposure as a result of fighting cancer, as a result of the liquidation of accidents at nuclear power plants, or who regularly receive a dose of radiation associated with the specifics of their professional activities.

The main action of egg substances is to enhance immunity and stimulate the work of the bone marrow, which is responsible for the formation of red blood cells. Turtle eggs are traditionally used in oriental medicine to make medicines for circulatory problems, especially limbs, loss of strength, exhaustion of the nervous system due to chronic depression or stress.

Taste and use in cooking

Turtle eggs taste like chicken eggs. However, they differ from bird counterparts in their higher fat content. Over the long culinary history of the product, many recipes for preparing a delicacy have been worked out. Eggs are good to make cakes, sweets, pastries, muffins, first courses, side dishes, snacks, etc.

In Cuba, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, turtle egg dishes are national. The most common are eggs baked in bamboo over an open fire. But they are also popular in making sweet desserts, omelets, soups, and baked goods.

What foods do turtle eggs go with?

Turtle eggs chefs cook with sausage, bake with ground beef, fry in batter with chicken fillet. Pork or duck they pour with raw eggs. They go well with soy or garlic sauce and mayonnaise. They are fried with milk, decorated with cream cheese, mixed with cottage cheese in casseroles. Eggs of turtles go well with onions, apples, tomatoes, and prunes. They are good in dishes with beans or potatoes. These eggs go well with greens or root vegetables in delicacy recipes: lettuce, parsley, onion, dill, cilantro, bamboo leaves, bean pods, asparagus, ginger, lily petals.

How to cook eggs of turtles?

You can make an omelet with onions, cheese, and pepper or bake whole eggs in zrazy over an open fire. Eggs of turtles will perfectly decorate a salad with chicken, walnuts, and prunes. You can use them for casseroles with potatoes or for making tortoiseshell and mushroom stews. Gourmets cook soup with egg, adding rice wine and lily petals.

In Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Cuba, such eggs are a popular national dish. They are baked over a fire in bamboo leaves or fried as omelets. Some tribes melt butter from eggs and use it for food.