Games

The egg's fragility probably accounts for its popularity in games down through the centuries.

Egg Hunt
Hiding colored or decorated eggs around the house or garden for youngsters to find has long been an Easter morning tradition.

Egg Toss
Whenever groups gather for picnic games, an egg toss is as predictable as a sack race. Partners line up in two rows facing each other. Every member on one side tosses a raw egg across. After each successful catch, the players step backward, adding to the difficulty of the next catch. This is repeated until all but one egg is broken. The couple with the last unbroken egg wins.

Egg Rolling
Many variations of egg rolling contests and games can be played. The egg rolling that takes place on the lawn of the White House or Capitol building has become an American tradition started, according to legend, by Dolley Madison in the early 1800's. Similar events are held in many other locations throughout the country. The United States, however, can hardly take credit for inventing the custom--egg rolling was mentioned in a Latin treatise in 1684. In England and Scotland, children roll eggs downhill and the last child with an unbroken egg is the winner. In another version of egg rolling, the players push the egg to the finish line using only their noses. Very similar are egg races in which the players try to send emptied eggshells across the finish line by fanning them with a piece of cardboard or by blowing them. Since eggs are not round, winning is not as easy as it might seem!

Egg Tapping
Many countries continue the age-old ritual of egg-tapping or egg-shackling. For example, Greeks form a circle and tap scarlet eggs, one against the other. The one finishing with an unbroken egg may claim all the other eggs. (The trick is protecting as much of the egg as possible with your fingers.)

Pace Egging
In English villages until modern times, children have carried on an old sport called pace-egging. The name comes from Pasch, the word that means Easter in most European countries. This derives from Pesach, the Hebrew Passover, which falls at the same time of the year. Pace-eggers are much like Halloween trick-or-treaters. They go from house to house in costume or with paper streamers and bright ribbons attached to their clothes. Faces blackened or masked, they sing or perform skits and demand pace eggs, either colored hard-cooked eggs or substitutes such as candy and small coins.

Germinal Disc

The entrance of the latebra, the channel leading to the center of the yolk. The germinal disc is barely noticeable as a slight depression on the surface of the yolk. When the egg is fertilized, sperm enter by way of the germinal disc, travel to the center and a chick embryo starts to form.

Grading

Classification determined by interior and exterior quality and designated by letters AA, A and B. In many egg packing plants, the USDA provides a grading service for shell eggs. Its official grade shield certifies that the eggs have been graded under federal supervision according to USDA standards and regulations. The grading service is not mandatory. Other eggs are packed under state regulations which must meet or exceed federal standards.

In the grading process, eggs are examined for both interior and exterior quality and are sorted according to weight (size). Grade quality and size are not related to one another. In descending order of quality, grades are AA, A and B.

There is no difference in nutritive value between the different grades.

Because production and marketing methods have become very efficient, eggs move so rapidly from laying house to market that you will find very little difference in quality between Grades AA and A. Although grade B eggs are just as wholesome to eat, they rate lower in appearance when broken out. Almost no Grade Bs find their way to the retail supermarket. Some go to institutional egg users such as bakeries or foodservice operations, but most go to egg breakers for use in egg products.

Grade AA

A 'Grade AA' egg will stand up tall. The yolk is firm and the area covered by the white is small. There is a large proportion of thick white to thin white.

Grade A

A 'Grade A' egg covers a relatively small area. The yolk is round and upstanding. The thick white is large in proportion to the thin white and stands fairly well around the yolk.

Grade B

Grade B

A 'Grade B' egg spreads out more. The yolk is flattened and there is about as much (or more) thin white as thick white.

Greening

~see Color, yolk