Fundamental piece of a balanced diet

The egg is a versatile product when it comes to cooking and plays a very important role when it comes to having a balanced diet. This product of animal origin (poultry) has a high nutritional value, and a high level of proteins, vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and fatty acids. Many varieties of eggs can be found on the market. The most common are chicken eggs. One of the main visible differences between them is the color: there are white eggs and brown eggs.

In terms of flavor and nutritional properties they are the same. The color of the egg is only determined by the genetics of the hen and its pigmentation. The Andalusian chicken, a common breed of chickens in the south, is characterized by laying white eggs, which is why, traditionally, the Malaga egg has been characterized by having a light shell. The way the chickens are raised also influences the taste and shape of the eggs. You can distinguish between caged chicken eggs (the animal lives in small cages that make it easier to collect the egg); floor chicken eggs (the chickens are loose inside a shed); free-range chicken eggs (like free-range chickens, they live in a warehouse, but they also have outdoor pens), and organic chicken eggs (they feed on organic feed and must meet more restrictive conditions of care and freedom. ).

Consumption and use of eggs in cooking

The egg is a fundamental piece of Spanish gastronomic recipes. A high percentage of the dishes prepared every day include eggs as an ingredient. This product can be consumed fried, grilled, cooked, scrambled, in omelettes, with soup, in sweets, in desserts... In addition to its nutritional properties, the egg stands out for other essential characteristics in the kitchen. Thanks to its foaming capacity, it is very useful in pastry and confectionery to make products with foam and spongy texture, while thanks to its emulsifying nature (it allows creating homogeneous mixtures from various liquids) it is useful for preparing all types of sauces: mayonnaise, aioli, rose, tartar…