Gently open a small opening on the round end of the preserved egg, peel off about 1/4 of the egg skin, then gently open a small opening on the pointed end of the preserved egg, and hold the tip of the preserved egg with your mouth. Blow air through the small mouth of the head to separate the eggshells perfectly.

Preserved eggs are roughly divided into "shaxin eggs" (including small soft-boiled preserved eggs) and "soft-boiled eggs" (including medium and large soft-boiled preserved eggs) according to the shape and size of the eggs. The pickling time is more than 60 days, and the pickling time for "soft-boiled eggs" is about 35 days. Northern regions like to eat sand-coated preserved eggs, while southern regions prefer to eat soft-boiled preserved eggs.

When making preserved egg and lean meat porridge, it is of course better to choose hard-boiled preserved eggs. When mixing preserved eggs with tofu, soft-boiled preserved eggs are suitable. For cold preserved eggs, depending on personal preference, either sand-core or soft-boiled preserved eggs can be used. In order to reduce costs, some manufacturers often shorten the pickling time and produce "big soft-hearted" preserved eggs that are not pickled thoroughly, commonly known as "raw-hearted eggs." When opened, the yolks of these eggs are fresh-yellow. When the temperature is high, they easily deteriorate and leak black water.

The historical origin of preserved eggs

According to legend, during the Taichang period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a small teahouse in Wujiang, Jiangsu Province. The owner knew how to do business, so the business was prosperous. Due to the lack of manpower, the shopkeeper poured the brewed tea into the ashes when entertaining guests. Coincidentally, the shopkeeper also raised a few ducks, which loved to lay eggs in the ashes. When the owner picked up the eggs, there was inevitably Omission.

Once, when the shop owner was cleaning out the tea leaves from the furnace ash, he found a lot of duck eggs. He thought they were inedible. Unexpectedly, when you peel it open, you will find that it is dark and shiny inside, with white patterns on it. When you smell it, a special fragrance comes to your nose; when you taste it, it is smooth and refreshing. This is the original preserved egg. Later, through people's continuous exploration and improvement, the production process of preserved eggs has become increasingly perfect.

Reference for the above content: People's Daily Online - How to choose safe preserved eggs?