How about an egg on that? Why we live in an age of peak egg

Eggs aren't just a breakfast dish anymore and haven't been for a while.

Nowadays, in a world where food needs to be as photogenic as it does taste delicious, egg yolk has become one of the most Instagram-friendly garnishes of them all.

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth spoke to the Homestretch Wednesday about preciselythat.

Q: Are eggs on everything a new trend?

A:This has been going on for a few years actually but in the last year or so, I've been seeing eggs usually something with a nice, runny yolkon top of just about everything soup, pizza, burgers, salads, avocado toast, just random pieces of meat, pasta, tacos.

You name it, [these days] there's an egg on it.

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Q: Why eggs?

A: Well, like a lot of hipster food trends, this is actually a case of old being new again.

Eggs are a very popular garnish in many international cuisines, because in some places, proteins like beef andpork are just not that common, so putting an egg on something gives it that extra hit of protein, at a fairly low cost.

So it's not uncommon to find eggs on top of traditional Asian soups for example. You'll often find it on Ramen or soups like that.

I remember years andyears ago, I went to a Korean restaurant and ordered soup and they handed me a full egg shell and all and I had to crack it on top of my soup.

And that wasn't a trend thing at all that was just a traditional thing.

There's also really common in what we would call peasant food in Italian and French food, because again, protein without the cost.

Q: Any other trend in eggs besides runny yolks?

A: SousVide eggs are a big thing.That's a good way to put them on top of things.

The hard boiled egg is [also] making a comeback in different forms. Devilled eggs are huge right now.

I was actually at the new King Eddy restaurant the other day, and they have devilled eggs with crispy fried chicken skin on top.

Scotch eggs I've [also] been seeing all over the place.

Q: Where are some places in Calgary to get eggs?

A:Everywhere really.

But there are some places who are doing some really fun things. Oneof my favouritedishes is the curried chips at Calcutta Cricket Club. Youcan get them at brunch with a poached eggs on top of your curried fries. It's delicious.

Charcut puts an egg on their famous Share Burger.

All the ramen placesput eggs on their bowls.

Foreign Concept does them on top of their noodle bowls, too with a SousVide egg which is nice and creamy.

Like I said, devilled eggs you can get them at The Guild, you can get them at the King Eddy.

And for the reverse, of putting an egg on top of things, Two Penny does a really nice sort of dessert bun. When you break it open, egg yolkcomes pouring out.

Q: Is this safe?

A: I think so. From what I understand, the bacteria is usually on the outside of the egg.

You often do see warnings on menus, however. So if you have a compromised immune system, or you're pregnant you may want tobe safe,but it really is a personal choice.

Q: Is this a trend that will last?

A: There's been a backlash to this trend ever since it started, fiveor sixyears ago,so there's definitely naysayers. I've also been out with people who like I said, just don't like it. Eggs are gross to them, they don't like eggs, or they have an allergy, which can be really hard to navigate, when there's an egg on top of everything.

But because it's rooted in tradition for a lot offoods, I think we're going to see eggs on top of a lot ofthings but maybe more where they're supposed to be rather than on every single thing you order in a restaurant.

Q: Where are your favourite eggs served in Calgary?

A:I love the eggs at OEB. They have several locations now. They have these great farm fresh eggs with really golden yolks that are just beautiful. They taste great, and they put them on pretty much everything.

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With files from the Homestretch