Bird eggs have been valuable foodstuffs since 

prehistory, in both hunting societies and more recent

cultures where birds were domesticated. The chicken probably was domesticated for its eggs (from
jungle fowl native to tropical and subtropical Southeast Asia and Indian subcontinent) before
7500 BCE. Chickens were brought to Sumer and Egypt by 1500 BCE, and arrived in Greece around
800 BCE, where the quail had been the primary source of eggs.[5] In Thebes, Egypt, the tomb of
Haremhab, dating to approximately 1420 BCE, shows a depiction of a man carrying bowls of ostrich
eggs and other large eggs, presumably those of the pelican, as offerings.[6] In ancient Rome, eggs
were preserved using a number of methods and meals often started with an egg course.
[6]
 The Romans crushed the shells in their plates to prevent evil spirits from hiding there. [7] In
the Middle Ages, eggs were forbidden during Lent because of their richness.[7]
Egg scrambled with acidic fruit juices were popular in France in the seventeenth century; this may
have been the origin of lemon curd.[8]
The dried egg industry developed in the nineteenth century, before the rise of the frozen egg
industry.[9] In 1878, a company in St. Louis, Missouri started to transform egg yolk and egg white into
a light-brown, meal-like substance by using a drying process.[9] The production of dried
eggs significantly expanded during World War II, for use by the United States Armed Forces and its
allies.[9]
In 1911, the egg carton was invented by Joseph Coyle in Smithers, British Columbia, to solve a
dispute about broken eggs between a farmer in Bulkley Valley and the owner of the Aldermere
Hotel. Early egg cartons were made of paper. [10]

Varieties

Quail eggs (upper left), chicken egg (lower left), and ostrich egg (right).

Collected chicken eggs and quail eggs in a wicker basket.

Bird eggs are a common food and one of the most versatile ingredients used in cooking. They are
important in many branches of the modern food industry.[7]
The most commonly used bird eggs are those from the chicken, duck, and goose eggs. Smaller
eggs, such as quail eggs, are used occasionally as a gourmet ingredient in Western countries. Eggs
are a common everyday food in many parts of Asia, such as China and Thailand, with Asian
production providing 59 percent of the world total in 2013. [11]
The largest bird eggs, from ostriches, tend to be used only as special luxury food. Gull eggs are
considered a delicacy in England,[12] as well as in some Scandinavian countries, particularly
in Norway. In some African countries, guineafowl eggs often are seen in marketplaces, especially in
the spring of each year.[13] Pheasant eggs and emu eggs are edible, but less widely available;
[12]
 sometimes they are obtainable from farmers, poulterers, or luxury grocery stores. In many
countries, wild bird eggs are protected by laws which prohibit the collecting or selling of them, or
permit collection only during specific periods of the year. [12]

Production
In 2017, world production of chicken eggs was 80.1 million tonnes. The largest producers were
China with 31.3 million of this total, the United States with 6.3 million, India at 4.8 million, Mexico at
2.8 million, Japan at 2.6 million, and Brazil and Russia with 2.5 million each. [14] A typical large egg
factory ships a million dozen eggs per week.[15]
For the month of January 2019, the United States produced 9.41 billion eggs, with 8.2 billion for
table consumption and 1.2 billion for raising chicks.[16] Americans are projected to each consume 279
eggs in 2019, the highest since 1973, but less than the 405 eggs eaten per person in 1945. [16]
During production, eggs usually are candled to check their quality.[17] The size of its air cell is
determined, and the examination also reveals whether the egg was fertilized and thereby contains
an embryo.[17] Depending on local regulations, eggs may be washed before being placed in egg
boxes, although washing may shorten their length of freshness.

Anatomy and characteristics

See also: Egg (biology)

A raw chicken egg within its membrane, with the shell removed by soaking in vinegar.
Schematic of a chicken egg:
1. Eggshell
2. Outer membrane
3. Inner membrane
4. Chalaza
5. Exterior albumen
6. Middle albumen
7. Vitelline membrane
8. Nucleus of Pander
9. Germinal disc (nucleus)
10. Yellow yolk
11. White yolk
12. Internal albumen
13. Chalaza
14. Air cell
15. Cuticula

The shape of an egg resembles a prolate spheroid with one end larger than the other and has
cylindrical symmetry along the long axis.
An egg is surrounded by a thin, hard shell. Thin membranes exist inside the shell. The egg yolk is
suspended in the egg white by one or two spiral bands of tissue called the chalazae (from the Greek
word χάλαζα, meaning 'hailstone' or 'hard lump').

Air cell
The larger end of the egg contains an air cell that forms when the contents of the egg cool down and
contract after it is laid. Chicken eggs are graded according to the size of this air cell, measured
during candling. A very fresh egg has a small air cell and receives a grade of AA. As the size of the
air cell increases and the quality of the egg decreases, the grade moves from AA to A to B. This
provides a way of testing the age of an egg: as the air cell increases in size due to air being drawn
through pores in the shell as water is lost, the egg becomes less dense and the larger end of the egg
will rise to increasingly shallower depths when the egg is placed in a bowl of water. A very old egg
will float in the water and should not be eaten.[18]

Shell
Main article: Eggshell
Eggshell color is caused by pigment deposition during egg formation in the oviduct and may vary
according to species and breed, from the more common white or brown to pink or speckled blue-
green. Generally, chicken breeds with white ear lobes lay white eggs, whereas chickens with red ear
lobes lay brown eggs.[19] Although there is no significant link between shell color and nutritional value,
often there is a cultural preference for one color over another (see § Color of eggshell below). As
candeling is less effective with brown eggs, they have a significantly higher incidence of blood spots.
[20]

Membrane
Main article: Eggshell membrane
The eggshell membrane is a clear film lining the eggshell, visible when one peels a boiled egg.
Primarily, it composed of fibrous proteins such as collagen type I.[21] These membranes may be used
commercially as a dietary supplement.

White
Main article: Egg white
"White" is the common name for the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire)
contained within an egg. Colorless and transparent initially, upon cooking it turns white and opaque.
In chickens, it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen oviduct during
the passage of the egg.[22] It forms around both fertilized and unfertilized yolks. The primary natural
purpose of egg white is to protect the yolk and provide additional nutrition during the growth of
the embryo.
Egg white consists primarily of approximately 90 percent water into which is dissolved 10
percent proteins (including albumins, mucoproteins, and globulins). Unlike the yolk, which is high
in lipids (fats), egg white contains almost no fat and the carbohydrate content is less than one
percent. Egg white has many uses in food and many other applications, including the preparation
of vaccines, such as those for influenza.[23]