Tuck! Tuck! It is Kakching Town's Duck Egg

Pamkhuila Shaiza *

Kakching Town's Duck Egg :: Photo Credit - Niranjana Thokchom

Did you ever wake up and think, "Yae, somewhere down my writing career, I will be writing about Duck Egg". Well, I don't! I never even think I will be shopping for 'duck egg' or googling what important nutritious elements 'duck egg' embodies.

But here I am eating boiled duck egg and writing about it. It's all in Duck and Duck Egg! I know everyone associates buying and eating 'egg' to chicken egg, and till this year I was not different.

My perspective change when I visited Kakching Bazaar early this year, and thanks to my friend who showed me around Kakching, there I was, standing mesmerized and out of words looking at the duck egg! There is no such quality duck egg even in Imphal Bazaar, like it is there in Kakching!

1. Are the Duck Egg Attractive?

Hell ya! Duck eggs are typically double the size of chicken egg. The colour is of course mesmerizing to those who are used to seeing white coloured egg: Some duck eggs are light greenish in colour, while others are off-white.

Like any Indians, I tend to go for size, rather than quality, but in this case, I am not disappointed! The colour of the egg of course comes from different breeds of duck. It's shell also significantly differs in thickness as compared to chicken egg.

2. Is Duck Egg Nutritious?

After eating duck egg, I have to admit, it is a shame I was stuck eating chicken egg till this year. Duck egg is a phenomenal treat, and it is a ramped-up version of chicken egg, in terms of having thicker yellow-coloured and larger yolk and possessing higher concentration of protein.

Sadly, it has higher fats and cholesterol as compared to the chicken egg, but the good thing is, duck egg has higher concentration of omega-3 fatty acids than normal chicken egg, making it nutritious and healthy to consume.

Since the duck eat slugs, earthworms, and snails among others, the high-protein critters definitely have contributed to its protein and nutritious content. For any entomophagy, this is simply an indirect treat.

3. Is the Duck Egg Expensive?

Sadly, yes, but given its double size, it is certainly worth paying double the prize. While 1 chicken egg cost 4/5 INR, 1 duck egg cost around 10-15INR, depending on which market you buy and how you bargain.

4. Is the Duck Egg Easy to Cook?

No. Chicken eggs are smaller and lighter to boil or fry. Duck egg takes longer to get cooked or get fried. If one is in a hurry, it is not a good idea to boil and make a sunny-side up of the duck egg; rather scrambling the egg works faster and better.

Even while you are not pulled down by time, it is wiser to scramble the duck egg, since it becomes creamier and richer when the yolk and the albumen are mixed together. For those who wishes to use it while baking cake or dessert, using half of the amount of what you usually use of chicken eggs will work a charm!

5. Finally, Is the Duck Egg Delicious?

Well, ask the papillae in my taste bud! It dances like Marge Simpsons' when she went to taste the exotic Asian food in an Asian restaurant! It is still an egg, so it tastes like chicken egg, but is more intense in flavour, and ever more nutritious.

Today, I finally bubble-wrapped some duck-egg to parcel it to some of friends in North-India, and it dawned on to me that duck-egg definitely is a business enterprise that still needs to be exploited, and entrepreneurs should definitely look forward to hooking up with duck and duck egg. The industrious Kakching people will definitely welcome such Tuck and Tuck enterprise!