31 March 2025

It seems that avian flu and controversy over the price of eggs have been just the boost the egg industry needed. Sales had slumped as research about the negative effects of eggs' saturated fat grew and consumers started becoming more aware of the hens' poor laying conditions.

Current US egg consumption levels require one hen-laying chicken per person, so the culling of close to 10% of the flocks meant that over 30 million people in the US might have to give up eggs entirely (or a larger number of Americans would need to cut down). This was unacceptable!

Now, Scientists in Northern India have discovered a pink rock that makes the foods it comes into contact with taste like egg. Dubbed “black salt”, they found that a special colorless rock found in the Himalayas contained high levels of sulfur, the chemical that makes eggs smell so horrible. Noticing that plain egg whites have no flavor at all, they made slow work of firing the rocks in a kiln for 24 hours and further aging them to produce the “fragrant” pink rocks that mimic the egg scent.

According to Wikipedia, Kala Namak (black salt) will be used in Ayurvedic medicine as a cooling spice, and can treat a multitude of health conditions, from flatulence to goiter. Run, don't walk to Mount Everest and get your magic rocks now!

Just to clarify, the above was my tongue-in-cheek April Fool's Day joke (see…I got you because it's early!). These days, truth is often stranger than fiction.

Black salt is nothing new, but it may be new to you. I only learned about its magical properties a couple of years ago. Everywhere I go, the topic of eggs seems to come up, so I thought you might appreciate a few of my egg alternative ideas. I realize this is difficult with Passover and Easter (the biggest egg consumption time of the year) coming up, but let's give it a try:

Baking

Eggs in baking provide structure. I think the easiest substitute is a flax egg (1T ground flaxseed mixed with 2T water - I always keep a jar of ground flax in my freezer), but I have seen other ideas, including aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas), applesauce, silken tofu or even plain seltzer.

Scrambled “eggs”

I'm torn here, between tofu scramble and mung bean “eggs” (similar to Just Egg). They both taste great (of course, both use the magical black salt), have no saturated fat (unless you fry them in butter) and contain the healthful substance that real eggs don't…fiber.

Boiled eggs or soft egg yolks

This is tricky. But there are so many creative recipes out there for egg yolk dip, deviled potatoes and a vegan version of the classic fried egg. Most vegan “eggs" use turmeric for the yellow color, which is an added bonus for your health if you grind some black pepper over them.