The Flavor Profile: The Egg

Brenda’s ‘Soulful’ Fried Chicken Egg Benedict

**Author’s Note** (As of 9/19/13)
After deliberation and researching many food websites (local and international), I determined it is best to change the name of this mini series of posts as ‘The Flavor Profile,’ given there’s already an Inside Scoop column detailed from the SFGate.
**-End Author’s Note-**

The Flavor Profile idea came to me after noticing what drastic measures I’ve taken to live a healthier diet. For most folks who knew me within the last half decade.

I’m sure most would recall the binges of Korean BBQ (Galbi), Sushi (mid-tier sashimi grade, AYCEats) and the piles of Fast Food (or Ice Cream boxes) I’ve demolished in the past. My once high-metabolic College male body became somewhat stagnant due to life’s curveballs as I like to put it gently.

Today’s focus is on the common ingredient we all know and love, the egg.

The Egg is by far probably the top three (if not) the most acquired, utilized and consumed product in all of the food industry combined regardless if its through manufactured products or within a local mom and pop restaurant. The egg’s numbers are staggering in its uses as depicted in the table of aggregated statistical data listed by the American Egg Board.

I was going to do the grunt work all day just to get this to you guys by Friday but the most important numbers to keep in mind are:

-We will be using an estimated 250 + million eggs (that’s as much as the number Facebook photos uploaded in a single day by the entire active user database) per capita of the U.S. Census statistics of 2013 (this notation has been reflected more accurate due to the Feb. 2013 of a whopping 6.23 billion produced alone five months ago).

-The biggest egg consumers are in Iowa (How does a small state like Iowa produce so many eggs; inside joke to Ms. Five Footer).

The top five producers in the U.S. are:
1) Iowa
2) Ohio
3) Indiana
4) Pennsylvania
5) California
(Where’s Massachusetts on this list?)

Of the 224 million used last year in 2012, 72 million went into product manufactured items (utilizing eggs) and 20 million went into food service (restaurant use). You can feed all of the homeless breakfast meals in the United States for several years without any problems. (3*). Besides its versatility, science has gone through great lengths in implementing its innovations with egg production.

The health benefits are astounding, given that eggs provide an incredible source for affordable proteins, promote healthy cholesterol levels (4*) and provide choline for fetal development with regards to pregnant women (5*).

From a cultural perspective, the egg isn’t just an American diet its an Earthbound diet. 2013 is probably the year of the egg. This is one diet trend that will not be going away for a long time (unless Influenza makes a major comeback, I hope not).

Author’s Footnotes (Sources):
1: (http://www.aeb.org/egg-industry/industry-facts/egg-industry-facts-sheet): Posted 30 May 2012; Site visited 24, June 2013
2:  (http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/04/23/48-significant-social-media-facts-figures-and-statistics-plus-7-infographics/) Posted: 23 April 2012; Site visited: 24 June 2013
3: (http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/the-state-of-homelessness-2013) Posted 8 April 2013; Site visited 28 June 2013
4:(http://www.incredibleegg.org) Posted 17 Jan 2011; Site visited 28 June 2013
5: (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/20/egg-health-info-nutrition_n_3468208.html) Posted 20 June 2013; Site visited 28 June 2013