A place specializing in raising ducks to lay eggs with 2 yolks, becoming a famous dish

The ducks here have been artificially selected to produce double-yolk eggs for the famous salted duck egg dish.

The river features help the Gaoyou area to develop duck farming. During a trip to Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, I stopped at a small restaurant for breakfast. I ordered porridge and pickled vegetables. The chef asked: “Do you want to eat with salted duck eggs?”. Before I could answer, he disappeared into his kitchen, then returned with a gray-green egg in his hand. “Sure,” I nodded. As far as I know, the typical flavor of salted duck eggs is salty white and greasy yolk because it has been soaked in salt water. When the meal was brought out, I cut the egg in half and was surprised that there were 2 yolks inside. I waved the chef back to show him this rarity. But he chuckles and explains that most of the salted duck eggs in their kitchen have two yolks. They originated from a locality in Yangzhou, called Gaoyou. There, what most places consider rare, this place has a lot, which is salted duck eggs with 2 yolks. “When it comes to eggs with two yolks, we think of Gaoyou,” said David Yan, a tour guide and local resident. “This place is famous for this type of egg.” Salted duck eggs with 2 yolks is a culinary specialty of Gaoyou. It turned out that Gaoyou’s geographical location helped them a lot in the production of salted duck eggs. The prefecture is located in an area with many rivers and lakes, such as Gaoyou Lake, the prefecture’s third largest freshwater lake. For centuries, Gaoyou has been famous for raising ducks. In addition, salt is also an essential seasoning for salted duck eggs and is abundant here. The salt marshes in northern Jiangsu province are now part of a biosphere reserve where visitors can enjoy bird watching and hiking. In the past, the area was also known as China’s main source of salt. These natural advantages help Gaoyou become a famous salted duck egg production place in the country. Meng Wen, the chef who first introduced me to Yangzhou’s salted duck eggs with two yolks, said: “The duck farmers in Gaoyou have realized that it is better for the business to raise these ducks. Ducks lay eggs with many yolks. Farmers like that double yolks are considered a symbol of good luck because they are so rare. Furthermore, 2 yolks also means double the nutrient content. To increase the frequency with which ducks lay eggs with 2 yolks, breeders artificially selected ducks with genetic defects. In a 2011 scientific paper after examining two-yolk eggs in Gaoyou, the researchers wrote: “Normally, a two-yolk egg won’t even survive to hatch into ducks. child. If it hatches, the poor ducks will be severely deformed, stuck together… However, because these ducks have been subjected to artificial selection rather than natural selection for many generations, they are missing. The disease is widespread in the population.” According to the same study, the phenomenon of double-yolk eggs occurs in about 2-10% of duck eggs in Gaoyou. The farmer selects a duck egg with 2 yolks by placing the egg under the light. Hu Ruixi, co-founder of food tour company Lost Plate, explains: “They put all the duck eggs in one room, then look under the light to see if it is a single yolk or two yolk egg first. when they salt the eggs”. Currently, Gaoyou branded 2-yolk salted eggs have been widely sold everywhere and are often sold for many times higher than 1-yolk eggs. Yan explains that some people don’t eat much of the white because it’s salty, while the yolk is really creamy. But the right way to enjoy salted duck eggs with 2 yolks is to eat both because otherwise, the taste will not be complete. And eating 2 egg yolks instead of eating 2 eggs 1 yolk will help farmers develop this special industry. Dang Duong (According to CNN)