Salted Duck Egg
What it is
A duck egg cured in salt until the white is firm and intensely salty and the yolk turns dense, bright orange, and oily — the yolk being the prize.
How it's made
Whole eggs are submerged in heavy salt brine or packed in a salted charcoal/clay paste for several weeks; the salt firms and transforms them. They are then usually boiled (whole) or the raw salted yolks are used in baking.
Flavor profile
White: firm and very salty. Yolk: rich, fatty, granular-creamy, deeply savory, with a signature "sandy" luxuriousness when cooked.
Culinary uses
The yolks are the centerpiece of mooncakes and savory zongzi (sticky-rice dumplings), mashed into the now-globally-trendy salted egg yolk sauces (salted-egg crab, prawns, custard buns, chips), and steamed with pork. Whole boiled salted eggs are eaten with congee and rice.
Regional variations
Chinese salted eggs (often paste-cured); **Filipino *itlog na maalat*** (frequently dyed bright magenta/red to distinguish them from fresh eggs, eaten with tomatoes); Vietnamese and Thai versions in baked goods.
Cultural & historical context
A practical preservation method that elevated the duck egg into a festival ingredient (mooncake yolks symbolizing the full moon) and, recently, a viral flavor category across Asia.
Reference notes
Tags: `egg`, `salt-cured`, `preserved`, `yolk`, `chinese`, `filipino`. Related: century egg, bottarga. Cuisines: Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai. Links → Mooncake, Zongzi, Salted Egg Yolk Sauce.