A little history
The egg is one of the products about which there is a lot of debate among scientists around the world. Some nutritionists claim that this product can be called the best as a dietary food, while others completely refutes this statement.
It is believed that the egg was consumed by primitive man long before the chicken became poultry. It would not be out of place to say that people have been using chicken eggs to prepare various dishes for several millennia. Many cultures revered the egg as a symbol of life, fertility and rebirth. In Christianity, colored eggs are a symbol of Easter. And ancient Egypt had its own belief. The Egyptians claimed that the egg was created by the gods from the moon and the sun.
There is an assumption who was the first to eat eggs - these were the inhabitants of ancient India and Southeast Asia. Later, Greece and Egypt, and the rest of the countries of the ancient world learned about them. In the 17th century, the French really liked cocktails that included eggs and sour fruit juices.
Later, in the 19th century, this product began to be dried. This practice was used by the military during World War II and helped many survive.
This is interesting ! Packaging containers for storing eggs, in the form of cardboard trays familiar to us, were invented only at the beginning of the 20th century.
It is very difficult to answer the question in which country they learned how to cook a chicken egg deliciously. But those who were among the first could not help but note that an egg can easily satisfy hunger, it is easily absorbed by the body, and it has excellent taste.
"Sunny" result
So we got yellow eggs for Easter. And it was not a dubious chemical dye that helped in this, but turmeric, a natural dye known for many centuries. If suddenly drops of coloring pigment get on your hands or clothes, don’t get upset right away. Although remember that you need to act immediately. Try scrubbing your hands with vegetable oil or alcohol. And this method can help with clothes or other textiles. Dissolve the powder and bleach in a minimal amount of water. Place things in it and pour boiling water over it. With the caveat that the fabric allows such processing.
Why and when are eggs painted?
Basically, eggs are painted on the eve of Orthodox Easter. The custom has been passed down since ancient times and from generation to generation. It is believed that during Lent in villages, many eggs accumulated in chicken coops. A lot of them gathered for the holiday, people began to paint them and give them to neighbors and invited guests.
The egg has long symbolized the rebirth of new life. Red is considered one of the most popular colors for dyeing. The color symbolizes the blood that the Son of God shed for the sins of mankind.
There are many homemade ways to color eggs, using natural dyes. In this material we will tell you in detail how to color eggs with turmeric at home.
Features of painting with turmeric
Natural and chemical dyes are used to color eggs. One of the natural dyes is turmeric.
Turmeric is a powdered spice made from the root of the plant. It is shaped like ginger root. The color of the powder is bright golden. The dye is used in the food industry and medicine.
Features of coloring using seasoning include:
- Turmeric powder is safe for health;
- eggs are painted bright yellow;
- affordable dye price;
- simple painting process.
For coloring, buy high-quality powder, otherwise the surface of the egg will not be painted. Don't forget to check the expiration date. You can buy turmeric by weight. Fresh seasoning should have a strong aroma. If the smell is weak, then it is better not to purchase such a product.
Methods for coloring eggs with turmeric
Turmeric is used in cooking not only as a seasoning for various dishes, it is considered a dye that is absolutely safe for the human body. Turmeric is considered a vegetable dye.
Let's look at how, using this spice, you can dye eggs easily and correctly at home. What ingredients will be needed for painting:
- running water (1000 milliliters);
- capacity;
- turmeric (pack of 20 grams);
- packing of white chicken eggs (10 pieces);
- ordinary food vinegar (1 tablespoon).
Proper cooking technique:
- To prepare the dye, you need to take 20 grams of turmeric powder and 1 liter of water.
- Half an hour before cooking, eggs must be removed from the refrigerator to prevent cracks on their surface from thermal shock.
- Next, the container is filled with water, after which you need to add natural dye, bring to a boil, while not forgetting to stir.
- Afterwards, raw eggs should be dipped in a turmeric coloring solution, it should boil, cook for 10 minutes.
- Add vinegar gradually at the rate of one tablespoon of vinegar per liter of water.
- The eggs are ready. The solution must be drained. Dry the shells with blotting movements using a table napkin. If you have the desire and your imagination works well, you can dilute the resulting color with drawings with a specific theme.
Testicles painted with turmeric solution look very festive.
It is important to know ! Before coloring eggs in turmeric, you can add salt to the container; if the shell breaks, it will not leak out.
It is recommended to wash the egg shell before staining. You can use soap and a soft sponge, or wipe with alcohol, this process is necessary for uniform coloring.
Preparation
Before you paint eggs with turmeric, you should perform a number of simple steps that will make it easier and improve the quality of your future table decoration:
- It is worth preparing gloves to protect your hands in advance - the pigment can become deeply embedded in the skin;
- for cooking (and direct coloring) it is better to use old, unnecessary dishes;
- To prevent the contents of the eggs from leaking out during heat treatment, it is recommended to first add a pinch of salt to the pan;
- To make the turmeric lie smoother and thinner, it is recommended to disinfect the shell with alcohol or vinegar.
It is also worth remembering that the resulting color also depends on which eggs are taken. Whites will have a nice light yellow tint, browns will have a rich orange tint.
Additional recommendations
- The paint adheres better if you leave the eggs in the broth overnight.
- You can add a bright, beautiful shine to the shell after it has cooled. It should be rubbed with regular vegetable oil.
- You can add a “zest” to the coloring process and get a beautiful pattern on the egg surface. How to do it? Raw eggs are moistened with water and dipped into uncooked long grain rice. After which you need to carefully place them in a nylon stocking, each separately and tie it tightly with braid or thick thread. Next, they are boiled in turmeric solution. The process has been described previously. After removing, rinse them with cold water to remove the rice from the surface. Turmeric gives the shell a pleasant sunny yellowish tint. The places where the rice was located remain white.
Dyeing with turmeric is easy, harmless and affordable. This seasoning can be purchased at the grocery store.
So as not to paint everything around
Turmeric is a very, very durable dye. You've probably noticed that if the seasoning crumbled while cooking pilaf, and even got on a damp area of the table or stove, it is almost impossible to completely wipe the stain off a light surface - a pale yellow mark remains. Therefore, when working with this natural dye, you need to follow a number of rules:
- The working surface must be protected with a waterproof covering - oilcloth or bag.
- We protect our hands with rubber, cellophane, latex gloves.
- We use either an old pan (which we don’t mind) or a steel pan without additional coatings. But you definitely don’t need to paint eggs in enamel dishes - it will be impossible to wash them!
- Involving children in the painting process in this case is not the best idea. Most likely, a few yellow spots left by children's fingers will remain in your kitchen forever after such an experiment.
The whole truth about the chicken egg or what you need to know
- Many people believe that if the yolk of an egg is bright yellow, then it is homemade. This is an incorrect statement. The color will depend on the food the chicken was fed.
- There is a statement that an egg with two yolks cannot be eaten. This option is extremely rare, but in fact the product retains the same taste and provides the same benefits as a regular egg with one yolk.
- There is also an opinion that the product is poorly absorbed and digested. This problem can only arise if a large number of raw eggs were eaten or the product was consumed at night. The rest of the time, if the product was prepared correctly, then there is no need to talk about deplorable damage to the body. It will be absorbed better than many other products.
- To determine whether an egg is fresh or not, you need to place it in water. When it is fresh, it remains in a horizontal position. In a bad egg, the end that is blunter will float.
Turmeric + red cabbage
Turmeric can also be used to color eggs green. Of course, you won’t be able to get a bright shade. It will be muted.
Red cabbage can turn the shell a beautiful blue hue. But if you mix it with turmeric, you get a natural green dye, with which you can color eggs a delicate shade of green.
To prepare the dye, you need to boil the cabbage and separately, boil the turmeric dye. It will take no more than 3 minutes to prepare each solution. When both dyes have cooled, take one part of each and mix in a separate container.
The mixture must be thoroughly mixed, otherwise the expected result will not work. Place the eggs in the resulting liquid and leave for 12 hours.
What color can you get from turmeric?
This dye will produce a warm yellow color to the eggs (assuming they were originally white), but if you keep them in the turmeric longer, you will be able to achieve a thick mustard color.
In addition, you can add blueberry juice to turmeric and then the color will be green. However, it is important to choose the optimal amount of juice, otherwise nothing will work.
If you need a yellow-green tint, then pour two teaspoons of seasoning into two cups of boiling water, let the coloring mixture stand for 15 minutes, and then add a quarter cup of vinegar to it.
