Word of Mouth: Chalazae

chalazae
[kuh-LAY-zee]

You're totally grossed out by these, and the words "umbilical cord," "sperm," or "embryo" may have crossed your mind a few times upon encountering these thick, ropey strands of egg white that are often attached to an egg yolk. Relax. The chalazae's only role is to anchor the egg yolk to the center of the egg. Remember, the eggs we eat are not fertilized, and chickens are not mammals, therefore no umbilical cord, sperm or embryos, my friends.

There's even a useful aspect to the chalazae: the larger it is, the fresher the egg. Once cooked, they disappear and have no effect on recipes, with the exception of custards, which usually call for straining to remove them in order to achieve a perfectly smooth texture.

Comments (3)

i dnt care wether its cords, its still chicken period!!!!!

sandra, isn't it just the opposite?

Actually, when I took developmental biology, we learned that the collection of cells inside a fertilized egg is an embryo, and it receives most of its nutrients from the yolk. Also, when chickens mate, the male does release sperm into the female that fertilizes the eggs before the shell is formed. Mammals aren't the only ones with sperm and embryos!