The mighty egg: A cultural and culinary history of our favourite household ingredient
Poached, scrambled, boiled, whipped into a cocktail, transformed into a painting medium, tossed at an enemy’s house. As the most striking of paradoxes, the egg exists in happy suspension between humble household ingredient and ever-powerful source of life.
One of the most enduring symbols throughout antiquity, eggs were used by the Romans to dispel evil spirits, modelled as priceless artefacts for the Russian nobility, and were woven into Egyptian mythology.
Taschen have teamed up with The Gourmand, a food and culture journal that explores the fields of art, design, literature, film, fashion and music through the universal subject of food, to produce a collection of original essays and archetype recipes. The Gourmand’s Egg: A Collection of Stories and Recipes is illustrated with commissions by acclaimed still-life photographers. Rounding out the volume are works from great artists such as Salvador Dalí, Frida Kahlo and David Hockney alongside texts from chef, food writer and critic Ruth Reichl and more.
“In cooking — as in almost everything else,” Reichl said. “It all starts with an egg.”
You can purchase ‘The Gourmand’s Egg: A Collection of Stories & Recipes’ here
