This Easter - Treat Your Family To An Ostrich Egg!

Looking for something new to serve for this year's Easter brunch? How about an Ostrich egg? While it may set you back about $25USD (per egg!), you will need just one of these humongous things to feed a gathering of 15 hungry adults.

The exotic eggs, which weigh a whopping 35lbs used to be really rare items, that had to be specially ordered. However, they have lately been gaining popularity and have started being served at some fine dining restaurants in Europe . They are particularly popular in Britain, which is why one of their biggest supermarket chains, Waitrose, is planning to stock them for Easter.

Each egg is equivalent to about 24 hen's eggs and takes 90 minutes to boil. Reputed to be slightly 'lighter tasting' than normal eggs, they can also be scrambled, made into omelet's or for the very, ambitious a really large meringue! That is, if you can crack one. The shell is so hard, that the eggs need to be drilled or smashed open with a hammer.

The Ostrich, which are native to Africa, is the world's largest bird. While they cannot fly, they are fast runners, known to reach speeds of up to 43mph. In the wild, they are known to be very aggressive and not trainable.

However, the Ostrich eggs that are sold, come from a sub-species called South African Black Ostrich, which have been domesticated by South African farmers over many centuries. In fact, they are so docile, that they are a very popular export item to farmers in other countries, who wish to breed these huge birds, either for their meat or eggs.

The main breeding season is from March to September, making it a perfect Easter treat. Each female lays only 12-15 eggs a year, usually one every other day, which is one of the reasons they are so expensive. But people who have eaten them, say they are worth every penny!

sources: newslite.tv, guardian.co.uk, upcoming.current.com