What Are Tong Zi Dan, Chinese Eggs Cooked in Pee, And How Are They Made?

Over time we have seen gastronomic oddities. From the century egg to the smelliest fruit in the world, passing through the Chinese hairy crab but also tuna eyes. Most of these are foods that are strange to the tastes of us Westerners but completely normal (or almost) for a good part of the Eastern populations. In fact, they are mostly foods that come from China or, more generally, from the easternmost Asian areas. However, if the fermented and black egg has destabilized you, then perhaps it is better not to continue reading this article. We will still talk about eggs, but cooked in a way that is certainly not canonical. Far from it.

Let's go and discover the tong zi dan (literally ‘virgin boy eggs'), apparently normal eggs if only they weren't first pricked with holes (and so far nothing too strange) and then (hold on tight) cooked in human pee.

Why Eggs Are Cooked in Pee

We are in the county-city of Dongyang to be precise.  Here in 2008 these particular eggs entered the list of Intangible cultural heritage; becoming an intangible heritage of the local culture. The pee used is not just any pee but that of boys preferably under 10 years of age, collected in special containers at the beginning of spring. So if you thought you had seen it all with the Chinese fermented black egg, here they go decidedly beyond. The cooking, on a low flame, in urine takes all day and at the end of the preparation the price of the eggs doubles, each costing 1.50 yuan (about 20 cents).

However, this is not a food oddity (at least for us Westerners) as an end in itself, but there is a reason why urine is used to cook eggs. According to a local popular belief, in fact, by eating foods prepared in pee, one can improve blood circulation, generally reinvigorating the body. Let's do this: we take your word for it…