A rediscovery of eggs has emerged from our collective two month home confinement. According to Bee Wilson in her Table Talk column in The Wall Street Journal on June 13th she cites Google Trends as recorded a substantial number of requests for egg recipes. An interesting observation is the popularity of egg salad as an easy to prepare, nutritious, and enjoyable dish suitable for lunches and snacks. Wilson recounts the observations of a restaurant operator observing the satisfaction displayed by diners at a New York City restaurant conuming his egg dishes. She relates this to a reminiscence of a sense of contentment and security when consuming eggs in childhood.
Eggs are exceptionally versatile and can cater to the most exotic of tastes, featuring in the cuisines of most nations including Oriental and Latino dishes. Eggs are associated with a sense of satisfaction, both from a recollection of less stressful times and from pleasant associations and family interactions.
Given the demise of the “cholesterol myth” not only are eggs now regarded for their nutritional content, but also for their intrinsic value. New attitudes towards eggs among consumers is generated by the activities of the American Egg Board through promotions and adept use of social media. Concurrently, consumption is advanced by the introduction of eggs by the food service industry. All-day breakfasts owe in part their acceptance by customers savoring egg dishes beyond the conventional breakfast meal time.
When COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, and hopefully as our society returns to a new normal, eggs will remain a staple in our diets.
Over the past five years since the precipitous 2015 fall in per capita consumption due to avian influenza, consumption has risen on an annual basis. Data for the remainder of 2020 will denote the extent to which eggs will be adopted by families and single-person households. Casting forward to 2021 we will determine whether the trend towards increased consumption during the March surge in demand will persist.