When I was in Switzerland a couple weeks ago I visited Migros, a large supermarket, and I was shocked to see these eggs! No, not shocked to see raw eggs sitting on the shelves (in Europe eggs are invariably kept on the shelves, instead of in the refrigerated cooler) — I was surprised to see colored eggs. We're nowhere near Easter!
So what's the deal with all these shelves of colored eggs?
My hostess said that oh yes, they always have colored eggs on the shelves. She seemed to think it was quite normal. "They're so nice for picnics," she said.
What do you think of this? Why not have colored eggs all through the year — not just on Easter? Heck, you could do some brown and orange eggs for Halloween!
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Comments (21)
I don't know how you even found these--I can never get beyond the chocolate aisle in a Swiss grocery store.
This is also somewhat normal in Germany. You can buy them all year round and seem to brighten up mealtimes.
Come on America, get in the game! This is so cool!
Curiously, I have never seen these eggs in the kitchens of my Swiss relatives. I think there's something to be said for making colored eggs at home rather than buying them pre-made (although I like the idea of expanding egg coloring to other seasons).
Also, Migros is an awesome grocery store.
Hate to be a downer, but doesn't this kind of get away from the natural, real food movement that's going on right now? Not that I stick to it strictly all the time, but all that extra processing time and dye on a large scale just to make novelty shells that we throw away or compost with the dyes? I can get into it for special occasions, but it doesn't seem worth it to have them all the time.
That said, I love the idea of doing yourself at home for holidays other than Easter too.
Pretty funny typo up there.
You should always do yourself at home for the holidays....make it an eggstra special time and light a candle.
I was hoping you would say they have chocolate inside.
the halfie - this is why they could easily be dyed with natural food dyes. Beets, carrots etc. since the skins retain much of the coloring agents, it wouldn't have to be a 'bad' thing.
I do wonder about the shelf life though of the colored eggs. I would imagine the dyes would reduce the shell integrity and shorten the lifespan of the egg's natural bacteria-inhibiting properties (which are washed off in the US when eggs are processed - thus why we refridgerate ours)
These are hard- COOKED eggs! it's the same in Germany: the hard-boiled eggs are coloured, so they are easier to identify in the fridge!
I miss Migros! It's the best supermarket in Switzerland. LOVE their chocolate isle..
It's interesting to hear that those are actually hard boiled eggs! I wonder what they use for the dye..
Cool!
It depends very much on the country and the specific supermarket chains whether you'll find your eggs in the refrigerated area or somewhere rather close to it but in room temperature.
Like Tine already said, it is to differ raw from hard boiled eggs.
That's a good point, Rachiti, if beets and carrots and things were used, that'd be much less worrisome. I get what you're saying about shell integrity though, tat is a worry.
And Tine, thanks for the clarification! Silly me, I totally thought these were raw... :)
The time or two I had the colored eggs from the grocery store in Germany, they were soft boiled, and I did wonder a bit about food safety.
What is so great about these eggs (my husband complains if we don't have some in the fridge) is that they are PERFECTLY boiled, not overdone, and not underdone. They are wonderful for sandwiches, snacks, quick deviled eggs.
When I mentioned them here a couple of years ago, I got a lot of grief for them... Great that the comments are more positive...
Oh, and you can also find ones that have a plain natural dye -- a brownish paintbrush finish.
BTW, raw eggs are much, much fresher in Europe than in North America, which is why they can be kept on store shelves instead of the refrigerator section.
@thehalfie - the raw eggs are in the cartons just underneath the cooked eggs.
Those are wonderful! I saw Rainbow Bacon over at Bacon Today that would make for a perfect Sunday morning :)
http://bacontoday.com/colored-bacon/
do they just dye the eggs?
This is really cool.
www.kitchencorners.com
I am an American living in Swizterland and I have to say that these eggs were one of the first things I noticed. Recently I saw a pack of pink eggs with Hello Kitty on them. Of course my girls were begging for them. We haven't tried any yet. I am still putting the fresh eggs in the refrigerator as soon as I get them home from the grocery!
As a Swiss living close to Zurich it's funny for me, that you think that this is funny. :) As said it's to differ the hard boiled eggs (coloured) from the raw ones (unpainted).
If you spontaneously want to make a sandwhich over lunch it's the best. :)
I so miss swiss grocery stores (especially Coop and the groceries at Globus in Geneva). I loved these eggs! So pretty in a bowl in the refrigerator...because I too, can't get over not refrigerating my eggs, at least in summer.