Five ordinary, extraordinary and out-of-this-world egg facts

As a farmer I’m asked many questions about eggs. For instance, what’s the difference between white and brown eggs? (Answer: the breed of the hen!). There are endless, extraordinary facts about eggs. I’m going to share some of them with you. By the end you’ll appreciate why egg farmers are so passionate about the work we do. After all, eggs are simply fascinating.

1. The world’s heaviest egg

How heavy can an egg get? Guinness World Records knows the answer. The current title-holder of “world’s heaviest chicken egg” is a 454-gram egg laid in Vineland, New Jersey on February 25, 1956.¹ For context, a large egg in Canada weighs at least 56 grams–an astounding one-eighth the size of the record-holder. Think of it another way: the world’s largest egg is heavier than a soccer ball!²

2. Our egg-traordinary universe

It’s one of the ancient questions of science: what shape is the universe? Ancient stories from cultures found in India and Japan refer to a “cosmic egg” from which creation sprang.³ In 2006, a group of Italian scientists gave the idea of the “cosmic egg” some merit. In a paper, the scientists used data from a NASA probe to argue that the universe was actually shaped like an egg.⁴

3. There’s an international egg holiday

If you love eggs and are looking for an excuse to try out new egg recipes, might we suggest setting aside some time in mid-October? Since 1996, the second Friday of October has been celebrated as World Egg Day. This year the holiday will be held on Friday, October 14.⁵ Around the world, past celebrations have included family festivals and omelette cook-offs. How will you be celebrating World Egg Day this year?

4. 141 hard-boiled eggs

In 2013, a new world record was set for most hard-boiled eggs eaten in one sitting. The title-holder is Joey Chestnut, who devoured 141 eggs in 8 minutes.⁶ In an interview, Joey offered advice to would-be competitive egg eaters: “Stand up really straight and grab two of them at a time in one hand… A little sip of water will help it go down.”⁷

5. One trillion… with a ‘T’

Here in Canada we produce around 7 billion eggs every year. Sounds like a lot, right? But we’re a tiny country. A staggering 1.2 trillion eggs are produced for eating every year, around the world.⁸ Now that’s a lot of eggs!

These are only a few interesting facts about eggs–what are your favourites that didn’t make the list? Let us know on Twitter at @eggsoeufs or on Facebook at Get Cracking.

¹ Guinness World Records
² FIFA
³ Encyclopedia Britannica
⁴ LA Times
⁵ World Egg Day
⁶ WDRB News
⁷ MUNCHIES (Vice Media)
⁸ Daily Expres

---