Egg coffee is a unique beverage found in Scandinavia, the American Midwest, and Eastern Europe. To make it, grind coffee beans, add a raw egg with the shell, a pinch of salt, and cold water. Boil water in a pot, add the mixture, and let it settle. Egg coffee was popular until the 1930s and has recently experienced a renaissance. It is commonly served at church events in the Midwest. Wash the egg before use and add other ingredients like nutmeg and cardamom.
Egg coffee is coffee that has been made with a raw egg, shell and all. Coffee has a distinct flavor and aroma that some people quite enjoy, and as an added bonus, eggshells help leach acids from the coffee, making this drink less harsh on the stomach. This unique beverage is found in some Scandinavian nations, along with the American Midwest, and also appears in parts of Eastern Europe. Egg coffee is also very easy to make at home.
To prepare egg coffee, the cook grinds a cup of coffee beans and then cracks a freshly washed egg into it. The shell is crushed and then added to the mixture, along with a pinch of salt and some cold water to turn the coffee-egg mixture into a thick paste. Meanwhile, water is boiled in a heavy pot on the stove; depending on how strong people like their coffee, 6 to 12 cups of water can be used.
When the water is boiling, the coffee-egg mixture is added and the heat is turned down so the water stays hot, but not boiling. After three minutes, the coffee should be removed from the heat and most cooks add a cup of cold water to aid settling. Heavier coffee grounds, eggshell fragments, and egg chunks will settle to the bottom of the pot; if not, some people strain egg coffee to remove it. The resulting coffee is a rich golden brown color.
Egg coffee was very popular in Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Sweden until about the 1930s, when the demand for this drink began to wane. In the late 1990s, it experienced a renaissance; it is possible that Midwesterners brought back the drink, as the American Midwest is home to many Scandinavian traditions that are no longer observed in Scandinavia itself. Many Midwestern Westerners associate egg coffee with Lutheran churches, as this beverage is commonly served at church events in this region of the world.
If you decide to make this drink for yourself, be sure to wash the egg first. Bacteria like Salmonella often stick to egg shells, and boiling water may not be enough to kill the bacteria. You can also add other ingredients like nutmeg and cardamom.
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