The lucky American turned out to be the owner of an Easter egg lost a hundred years ago, ordered by Emperor Alexander III from Carl Faberge for his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, for Easter in 1887. It was the third egg out of 54 items in the collection of the Russian ruling house.
Before the revolution, it was kept in the Anichkov Palace, and then it was nationalized. The last time its location was witnessed in 1922 - it was in the Kremlin Armory. After that, the "Golden Egg with a Clock" was considered missing, like seven other exhibits.
Last year, an American who wished to remain anonymous purchased an egg with a clock inside at a cheap flea market in the US. Tried to sell for 13 thousand dollars. Those who wanted to queue did not line up. Then he typed in the search engine "egg" and "Vacheron Constantin", as indicated on the clock. I came across an article by an expert on Faberge.
He brought us photographs of the egg, and I immediately understood what it was,” expert Kieran McCarthy told reporters. — I was amazed. It was like Indiana Jones finding the lost ark.
It is not known how the rarity ended up at the American flea market. One can only assume that in the 1920s it was sold to the United States by the Soviet government, which actively exchanged royal treasures for tractors, machine tools and technologies. And now, after so many years, it turned out to be on a flea market.
“I told him: you own a Faberge Easter egg worth tens of millions of dollars, and he almost passed out,” Kieran McCarthy, who also turned out to be the owner of Wartski, later recalled. This firm bought the egg for a private collector for $33 million. Now the company's home page has a photo of the jewel with the inscription "found" with a detailed description of the entire background.
Eggs are one of the most ancient types of human food.
They are included in the sacred symbolism, myths, fairy tales and sayings of most peoples of the world and in many cultures are a symbol of life.
This is a valuable food product containing almost everything, except for vitamin C, vital substances for a person: vitamins A, D, E, H, K, PP and group B, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, fluorine, manganese, iodine.
At the same time, it is also a low-calorie food: in one average instance, there are about 75 calories. They perfectly combine proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, while one piece can contain up to 14% of the daily protein requirement.
Eggs are the only type of food that is 97% digestible, which is why (and also due to the richest composition) the yolk is one of the first to be introduced into baby food.
How to know if an egg is fresh and why an egg floats in water; does the chick breathe in the egg; what is the danger of raw eggs; at what temperature salmonella dies; how to cook and store chicken eggs; Can eggs be stored in the freezer? why there are two yolks in an egg, as well as other interesting facts about eggs.
1. What does a chicken egg consist of?
The formed egg consists of protein, yolk, shell and membranes. In a chicken egg, 10-12% of the mass is the shell, 56-61% is the protein and 27-32% is the yolk. In the liquid content of an egg without a shell, the protein accounts for approximately 64%, and the yolk - 36%.
2. What is an eggshell made of?
According to studies by Hungarian doctors, it has been proven that the egg shell is 90% calcium carbonate (calcium carbonate). In addition, the shell also contains magnesium (0.55%), phosphorus (0.25%), silicon (0.12%), potassium (0.08%), sodium (0.03%), copper, iron, sulfur, fluorine, aluminum, manganese, zinc, molybdenum and many other elements (27 in total). Interestingly, the composition of the eggshell is very similar to the composition of human bones and teeth.
Outside, the shell is covered with a layer of dried mucus - the shell membrane, which protects against the evaporation of moisture from the egg and the penetration of microorganisms. Inside there is a shell membrane, which does not allow protein to pass through, delays the penetration of bacteria, but passes air, moisture and ultraviolet rays. And it is followed by an elastic protein film.
3. How does a chicken breathe in an egg through the shell?
The egg breathes through the pores in the shell. At first glance, the shell seems to be dense, but in fact it has a porous, gas-permeable structure. If you look at the surface of the shell through a magnifying glass, you can see many small pores through which air passes for the chicken. Through the pores, oxygen enters the egg, and carbon dioxide and moisture are removed to the outside. The shell of a chicken egg has about 7500 pores! There are more pores on the blunt end of the egg and fewer on the sharp one.
4. What is the thickness of a chicken egg shell?
The thickness of the shell of chicken eggs ranges from 0.3 to 0.4 mm, and it is not the same over the entire surface of the egg. At the sharp end of the egg, the shell is slightly thicker than at the blunt one. It is worth noting that the eggs of the same bird may have different shell thicknesses. The shell is thicker at the start of lay, usually in winter, and thinner from March to September. One of the reasons for the decrease in shell strength is the depletion of calcium reserves in the bird's body by the end of the laying season.
5. What determines the color of an eggshell?
The color of the egg shell depends on the breed of the laying hen. Interestingly, in most cases, hens with white earlobes lay white eggs, while hens with red ears lay brown eggs.
6. Which eggs are better - white or brown?
This question interests many housewives. In fact, there is no difference between brown and white eggs. The color of the shell of chicken eggs does not affect the nutritional value of the egg, its taste and quality. It also has nothing to do with the freshness of the eggs. However, it should be noted that brown eggs have a thicker shell, but blood stains are more common in them. Due to the stronger shell, brown eggs keep a little longer and are easier to transport without damage. Therefore, poultry farmers appreciate them.
7. How can you tell fresh eggs from stale ones?
You need to put the egg in the water. If it is fresh, it will lie at the bottom of the dish in a horizontal position. If the egg is more than one week old, then its blunt end will float up. An egg that hangs vertically in water is 2-3 weeks old, and an egg that floats up is 6-7 weeks old.
8. Why do stale eggs float?
The buoyancy of an egg depends on its freshness. The fact is that at the blunt end of the egg, an air chamber (puga) is gradually formed between the subshell and albuminous membranes. During storage, moisture evaporates from the egg through the pores, contributing to an increase in air space. Therefore, the longer the egg is stored, the more the size of the air chamber increases. That's why you should choose eggs with a matte surface, not a shiny one, when buying - this indicates the degree of their freshness. If the eggs are large but light, they have a large air chamber and are nearing the end of their shelf life. To determine the freshness of an egg in a store, you can shake it. If the contents dangle from side to side, such an egg is already spoiled and you can’t buy it.
9. Why are eggs sometimes difficult to shell?
It turns out that it depends on the freshness of the eggs. The content of recently laid eggs adheres more tightly to the shell film, so fresh eggs are more difficult to peel. And if they lie in the refrigerator for a week or two, then after cooking they can be cleaned easier and faster.
10. Why do hard-boiled eggs sometimes have a grey-green yolk?
This happens if, as a rule, a not very fresh egg is boiled for too long or if it is not cooled in time after boiling. In overcooked eggs, the yolk shell becomes greenish. This is due to the reaction of iron and sulfur, which are contained in eggs. When the eggs are heated, the sulfur from the protein comes into contact with the iron from the yolk and iron sulfide is formed at the junction between them, due to which a gray-green color appears around the yolk. The older the eggs, the faster this happens. Prolonged cooking and high temperatures also speed up this reaction.
11. Can you eat eggs with green yolks?
Yes, these eggs are edible. A greenish color on the yolk shell does not affect the taste of the egg and does not mean that it is spoiled. However, strongly overcooked eggs deteriorate in protein quality, so do not boil them for more than 10 minutes. To avoid greening of the yolk, use fresher eggs and refrigerate them immediately after boiling.
12. Why are there blood stains in chicken eggs?
Sometimes small specks of blood can be seen in the eggs. They appear due to the fact that the blood vessels burst in the laying hen and blood enters the yolk during separation from the ovary. Blood spots are more common in brown eggs. These blood inclusions should not be confused with the embryo. It happens that eggs have a blood ring on the yolk. This means that the embryo began to develop in the egg and the circulatory system of the chicken was formed (if the egg was stored at a high temperature), but the embryo died at an early stage of development.
13. Can you eat eggs with blood stains?
Yes, these eggs are quite suitable for consumption. Blood droplets in the egg do not pose a threat to health and do not affect the taste in any way. But red spots on the surface of the yolk look unappetizing, so it is better to remove them with the tip of a knife before cooking. However, eggs with a blood ring in which the embryo has already begun to form should not be consumed in any form.
14. Which country consumes the most eggs?
Mexico ranks first in the world in terms of egg consumption per capita. According to Mexican experts, each resident of the country eats 21.9 kg of eggs per year, which is an average of one and a half eggs per day. Mexicans eat more eggs daily than in any other country. Japan used to be the world leader in egg consumption per capita. Each inhabitant of this country annually consumes 320 eggs, that is, approximately one egg per day.
15. Why does the yolk stay in one position in the middle of the egg?
The protein of a chicken egg consists of three layers: the outer and inner layers are liquid, and the middle one is denser. The protein around the yolk is denser than under the shell. In this layer, which is located around the yolk, elastic twisted cords are formed on both sides of the yolk between the blunt and sharp ends of the egg. It is these protein cords, the so-called hailstones or chalazes (Chalazae), that hold the yolk in the center of the egg, but do not prevent it from turning around its axis. Chalaza are formed from a dense protein, they can be seen on an egg poured in a saucer. Their ends float freely in the albumen - the curl on the blunt side of the egg floats in the layer of more fluid protein surrounding it, and the curl on the sharp side of the egg penetrates the denser middle layer of protein.
16. Why is protein sometimes opaque?
The cloudy white color of the protein is due to the presence of a large amount of carbon dioxide CO2 in the egg. A cloudy white is a sign of the freshness of the egg, as carbon dioxide has not yet had time to leave it. In old eggs, this element evaporates through the pores of the shell.
17. What are the yellow and greenish crystals found in egg yolk?
This is riboflavin (lactoflavin or vitamin B2) - one of the most important vitamins. Riboflavin is yellow crystals, poorly soluble in water. Egg yolk is one of the dietary sources of riboflavin. 100 grams of eggs contain 0.3-0.8 mg of riboflavin (vitamin B2).
18. Can you eat raw eggs?
No, raw eggs should not be consumed, let alone given to children. They can contain pathogens of many diseases, for example, salmonella bacteria, which cause food poisoning in humans, and sometimes severe forms of salmonellosis with complications. Raw or undercooked eggs, as well as dishes with them (homemade mayonnaise, pudding, some sauces and creams, egg cocktails) are potential sources of infection. Eating soft-boiled eggs or insufficiently fried fried eggs with a runny yolk can lead to unpleasant consequences. On the other hand, hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, or well-done scrambled eggs will not cause salmonellosis or food poisoning. Bacteria can be found both on the shell and inside the egg, so it's important to cook it properly. Heat treatment kills germs. It should be noted that annually in large countries more than 400,000 people become victims of egg poisoning, of which about 200 cases end in death. In addition, raw eggs do not benefit the body, as they are absorbed much worse than boiled ones.
The egg until the moment of laying is a sterile product. And yet, already a few seconds after demolition, having such an impressive shell protection, its contents are affected by environmental microorganisms.
What happens to him?
To begin with, we note that when laid, the egg has a body temperature of the laying hen - 41-42 ° C. Once in the external environment, it cools down to the ambient temperature within two hours, while shrinking in volume. Through numerous tiny pores, which are more numerous at the blunt end of the egg, due to the difference in osmotic pressure, air is drawn into the egg. Together with the contents, the albuginea is also reduced, due to which a bundle is formed between the latter and the shell membranes and an air chamber is created - a pug.
Together with air, household and pathogenic (pathogenic) microflora penetrates into the egg. Here it finds a fertile environment for its development and distribution.
So the purity of raw eggs directly depends on the cleanliness and sufficient air exchange in the house and nests.
20. What are the signs of food poisoning?
The main symptoms of food poisoning are abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, an unpleasant taste in the mouth, headache and dizziness, often fever, severe weakness, and in severe cases, loss of consciousness. In case of acute poisoning, after 1-2 hours the temperature rises, severe vomiting and loose stools, dizziness and weakness appear, the pulse quickens, the skin of the face turns white, the color of the lips changes, and with botulism, suffocation and respiratory arrest may occur. Therefore, when such symptoms appear, you should immediately call an ambulance.
21. How to avoid food poisoning when eating eggs?
When buying eggs, check the expiration date. It is better to buy eggs in a store - there is usually a date stamped on the shell. Check that the eggs are not cracked or broken - it is better not to use such eggs. If the egg turned out to be stale or has an unpleasant odor, it must be thrown away immediately and in no case be consumed or given to animals, otherwise severe poisoning can occur. Fresher eggs are less likely to breed Salmonella. A natural defense mechanism inhibits their growth in eggs for 20 days. It is better not to risk and not drink raw eggs, do not cook soft-boiled eggs or fried eggs. Recipes using raw eggs should be avoided.
Bacteria can be both inside the eggs and on the shell, so eggs should be thoroughly washed with hot water (temperature 80 ° C) for at least 7 seconds before cooking. The fact is that Salmonella bacteria can get into the egg from the surface of the eggshell when it is broken. In addition, bacteria spread very easily to hands, dishes, tables, other foods and objects, so be sure to wash your hands before and after touching the eggs, and after cooking, wash everything that touched the eggs. Wash your hands after cracking a raw egg for cooking. When cooking, never put raw and then cooked foods on the same plate. Even properly cooked food can be contaminated with bacteria if drops or small particles of raw food accidentally get into it. Make sure that the scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs are well fried and do not remain raw. Boil or fry semi-finished products (dumplings, meatballs and others) well. Processing food until cooked through is the only way to kill potentially dangerous bacteria and avoid severe food poisoning.
22. What is the most famous bacterium in eggs?
This is salmonella, which lives in poultry eggs, meat, milk and dairy products. Salmonellosis (or paratyphoid) is an acute intestinal disease caused by various types of Salmonella, a very common form of food poisoning. The main route of Salmonella infection is through food. These bacteria multiply rapidly in foodstuffs (especially when warm), but do not change their taste and appearance. Salmonella accumulate in products of animal origin, tolerate drying, freezing, and survive in water for up to 2 months. They are resistant to smoking, salting, marinades, but quickly destroyed when boiled. The incubation period lasts from 2-6 hours to 2-3 days. Salmonellosis is characterized by damage to the gastrointestinal tract and the development of intoxication and is accompanied by diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, headache, malaise, and fever. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor. Salmonella enteritidis (Salmonella enteritidis) is the most common type of such bacteria in many countries.
23. How many minutes does it take to cook eggs?
Salmonella are very resistant and die only with prolonged heat treatment. They breed at temperatures from +7 to +45°C, and the best temperature for them is +35-37°C. At temperatures below +5°C, the growth of Salmonella stops. At +70-75°C salmonella die within 5-10 minutes, and when boiled instantly. Therefore, only hard-boiled eggs can be completely safe. Eggs should be boiled for 8-10 minutes from the moment the water boils, and scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs should be fried until dry.
24. At what temperature do egg whites and yolks harden?
Protein thickens at +60°C and hardens at +65°C. The yolk begins to thicken at +65°C and becomes hard at +73°C.
25. At what temperature should dishes containing eggs be cooked and stored?
Dishes containing eggs must be heated to a temperature of at least +70°C during cooking in order to kill bacteria. Re-heating food that has been stored for some time should also be at a temperature of at least + 70 ° C. Food should be stored at temperatures either above +60°C or below +10°C. Cooked food should not be stored at room temperature. At +20-40°C every 20 minutes the number of bacteria doubles and the risk of poisoning increases. A favorable environment for the reproduction of microbes is warm and humid. And the cold stops them from growing. Therefore, after eating, the remaining products should be immediately removed in the refrigerator.
26. How to properly store chicken eggs?
Immediately after buying the eggs should be put in the refrigerator. Eggs are recommended to be stored in the coldest place of the refrigerator (closer to the back wall) separately from other products and in special packaging. Although most refrigerators have a dedicated egg compartment on the door, it is wrong to store eggs in the refrigerator door. This is the warmest place, and the refrigerator is often opened and the eggs are exposed to frequent temperature fluctuations.
27. Why is it better to store eggs in a package?
Eggshells have thousands of pores through which odors can enter, as well as bacteria. Therefore, eggs must be kept in special trays and away from products with a strong smell, so they stay fresh longer. In addition, storage in egg trays will avoid the spread of bacteria from eggs to neighboring products.
28. What is the best way to store eggs - sharp or blunt end down?
Eggs are best laid with the pointed end down so that the yolks are centered. In this position, the eggs will be able to “breathe” and keep their freshness longer, since there are more pores at the blunt end through which oxygen enters the egg and carbon dioxide exits. In addition, at the blunt end of the egg there is an air space in which there can be bacteria, and when turned over to the blunt end, they float up and enter the egg.
29. Can eggs be stored in the freezer?
No, you should not store eggs in the freezer - they will freeze there. The ideal temperature for storing eggs is +4°C.
30. How long do eggs keep in the refrigerator?
Fresh eggs keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 weeks from the date of manufacture. It is not recommended to store eggs for more than 6 weeks, even in the refrigerator. Eggs are stored for a long time due to the fact that there is a protective film on their surface. Therefore, it is advisable to wash them immediately before cooking.
31. How long can boiled eggs be stored?
Hard-boiled eggs in the shell can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, but it is best to eat them within 3 days. Boiling destroys the protective film on the shell, which helps the egg to be stored longer. Egg dishes must be stored in the refrigerator. Egg salads are stored for 3-4 days, stuffed eggs - 2-3 days.
32. Can eggs be stored at room temperature?
You can, but it's better not to. Without a refrigerator, eggs spoil very quickly, even in one day at room temperature they lose their freshness. One day of storage of eggs at room temperature is equal to a whole week of storage in the refrigerator.
33. How much does one chicken egg weigh?
The mass of the egg ranges from 35 to 75 grams. The average weight of a chicken egg is 50-55 grams. This means that a dozen medium eggs can weigh 500-550 grams, and a kilogram will be about 20 eggs.
34. How much do egg white and yolk weigh separately?
The weight of the yolk is approximately 1/3 of the weight of the whole egg, and the weight of the albumen is 2/3 of the weight of the egg. That is, in an average egg, the yolk weighs 17 grams, and the egg white weighs 34 grams. And in one kilogram there will be 59 yolks or 30 proteins.
35. What determines the color of the yolk?
The color of the egg yolk - light yellow or bright orange - depends on the nutrition of the chicken. The carotenoids contained in the feed of chickens give the yellow color to the yolk. Carotenoids are naturally occurring pigments that are yellow, orange, or red in color. They give color to many plants, including vegetables and fruits. The more the chicken eats feed containing carotenoids (corn, alfalfa, grass meal), the brighter the color of the yolk. However, not all carotenoids give color to the yolk. For example, canthaxanthin and lutein impart a golden yellow color to the yolk, while beta-carotene does not affect the color. It should be noted that the color of the yolk does not affect the quality, nutritional value and taste of the egg.
36. What does the marking on eggs mean?
Each egg produced in a poultry farm and sold in a store must be labeled. Eggs are divided into dietary and table. Eggs are considered dietary for the first 7 days after they have been laid. Therefore, it is important to look at the date of manufacture. Such eggs are suitable for diet and baby food. Diet eggs after 7 days of storage are considered table eggs.
The first sign of the marking indicates the permissible shelf life:
- The letter "D" means a dietary egg, which is sold within 7 days.
- The letter "C" means a table egg, such eggs are sold within 25 days.
These periods are valid provided that the eggs are stored at temperatures between 0 and +20°C.
The second character in the marking indicates the category of the egg depending on its weight:
- "B" the highest category - 75 grams or more.
- "O" selected egg - from 65 to 74.9 grams.
- "1" first category - from 55 to 64.9 grams.
- "2" second category - from 45 to 54.9 grams.
- "3" third category - from 35 to 44.9 grams.
If the eggs are sold without any marking at all, you should not risk your health and buy them. Eggs of different categories differ only in weight, and their shell color may be different. In addition, some eggs come with two yolks.
37. And what determines the size of a chicken egg?
The mass and size of eggs depend on various factors. Chief among them is the age of the laying hen. Younger hens are more likely to lay small eggs, while older hens lay larger eggs. At first, the mass of eggs can be 40-50 grams, and by the age of the chicken it increases to 57-65 grams. The size of the eggs also depends on the breed and weight of the laying hen. Chickens weighing below normal lay small eggs. Housing conditions, bird feeding, climate, season of the year and time of day of laying also affect the size of the eggs. For example, in warm weather, hens eat less, which often results in smaller eggs. Although sometimes young hens also carry large eggs or even eggs with two yolks. And it happens that more yolks are found in the egg!
38. Why do chickens lay two-yolk eggs?
According to experts, eggs with two yolks are an anomaly. Double-yolk eggs are produced when two cells mature at the same time and pass through the hen's reproductive system together. Typically, such eggs are laid either by young laying hens that have not yet established reproductive cycles, or by mature birds (about one year old). The greatest number of two-yolk eggs are laid by hens in the first weeks of oviposition. The ability of hens to lay two-yolk eggs can be inherited. However, sometimes eggs with two yolks can be a sign of a diseased bird. If hens have problems with ovulation, inflammation of the oviduct, then they can carry eggs with two yolks, no yolk, too small or with various defects. Diseases of the oviduct in chickens can occur due to violations of the conditions of feeding and maintenance of laying hens, dampness and dirt in the room.
Eggs with two yolks are quite rare in nature and are not viable. They never hatch chickens. Previously, such eggs were considered non-standard and processed into egg powder. But then they began to be in demand among buyers, because they do not differ in taste from ordinary ones, but weigh more - 70-80 grams (while selected eggs weigh 65-75 grams). Therefore, chickens are now specially bred at poultry farms, which carry eggs with two yolks. Eggs with two yolks are completely harmless and suitable for consumption.
39. How many eggs does a hen lay in a year?
In one year, a laying hen lays about 220-250 eggs, and some hens lay up to 300 eggs or even more. It takes approximately 24-26 hours for a hen to lay an egg. Half an hour after the hen laid an egg, a new egg begins to form in her body. It has been noticed that white chickens carry an average of 45 more eggs per year than red or dark ones.
40. What determines the egg production of chickens?
The number of eggs obtained from a chicken for a certain period of time, that is, egg production, depends on the breed of chicken, its age, conditions of keeping, nutrition, health of the bird, and also on hereditary properties and individual characteristics. For example, hens of egg breeds lay 10-12% more eggs than meat-egg hens and almost twice as many as hens of meat breeds. Hens of egg-laying breeds begin to lay their first eggs at the age of 5-6 months. Hens are able to lay eggs for about 10 years. But increased egg production is observed in the first year of laying, during which hens can lay 250-300 eggs. With the age of the bird, egg production decreases by 10-15% per year compared to the first year of laying. Therefore, on industrial farms, it is economically profitable to use chickens only during the first year of laying, and on breeding farms - 2-3 years. And in the second or third year, only the best laying hens are left. Typically, a breeding flock consists of 55-60% young hens, 30-35% two-year-olds and 10% three-year-olds. Roosters are used up to 2 years, the most valuable - up to 3 years.
41. What does egg white consist of?
The egg block consists of water (85%), proteins (12-13%), carbohydrates (0.7%), fats (0.3%), glucose, various enzymes, vitamins of group B. Half of the protein contained in the protein is concentrated in an egg. It contains all the amino acids necessary for the construction of the protein of the human body, as well as lysozyme, a protein substance that kills and dissolves microorganisms, including putrefactive ones. But the protective properties of the protein are reduced during long-term storage. The protein is liquid near the shell and thicker around the yolk. Egg protein is the most easily digestible and complete protein found in food. It is considered a reference protein and other proteins are evaluated against it. Egg white contains approximately 17 calories.
42. What does the yolk of an egg consist of?
Egg yolk consists of water (50%), fats (more than 30%), proteins (16%), carbohydrates (0.2%), cholesterol and minerals. However, eggs are not a fatty product, since the yolk contains more harmless unsaturated fats (70-75%), and saturated fats - about 28%. Egg yolk is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, D, E, PP and others, and also contains phosphorus, potassium, calcium, chlorine, sulfur, iron, manganese, iodine, copper, cobalt. In addition, egg yolk contains lecithin, which is involved in metabolism and is necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system. The yolk is covered on the outside with a thin transparent shell and consists of alternating concentric dark and light layers. The yolk contains about 60 calories, which is three times more than the protein.
43. What are the benefits of chicken eggs?
Eggs contain all the nutrients necessary for the normal functioning of the human body. This is an indispensable food product that is prepared quickly and is inexpensive. Eggs are an ideal combination of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Eggs are a valuable source of protein. One egg contains 12-14% of the recommended daily protein intake for an adult. The average chicken egg contains approximately 6.5 grams of protein (protein), as well as 5.8 grams of easily digestible fats rich in phospholipids, which are involved in the transport of fats in the body, are part of all cell membranes. The proteins and fats of chicken eggs are well absorbed by the body. Eggs are the only food that is 97-98% digestible. In terms of nutritional value, one chicken egg is equivalent to 200 ml of milk or 50 g of meat. For young children, it is the second most important food after breast milk. Eggs are low in calories - one medium egg contains 75 calories.
Chicken eggs are rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements needed in the daily human diet. Eggs have vitamins A, D, E, H, K, PP and B vitamins. They only lack vitamin C. They also contain phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, fluorine, manganese, iodine. Phosphorus is a part of all tissues of the body, participates in metabolism, affects the activity of the heart and kidneys, and is necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system. Calcium forms the basis of bone tissue, is found in the skeleton and teeth, and affects blood clotting. Iron is involved in the processes of hematopoiesis, is necessary for the formation of hemoglobin, provides oxygen transportation in the body. Magnesium supports the normal functioning of the brain, takes part in the formation of bones and the regulation of blood sugar levels. Potassium regulates the acid-base balance of the blood, participates in the transmission of nerve impulses, improves the functioning of the heart and kidneys.
Eggs are a valuable source of folic acid, biotin, and choline, which is found in egg yolks. Folic acid (vitamin B9) normalizes the functioning of the circulatory system, supports the immune system. Biotin (vitamin H) is part of the enzymes that regulate protein and fat metabolism. It improves the condition of the skin, hair and nails. Choline (vitamin B4) prevents the formation of fats in the liver, lowers cholesterol levels, activates the brain, improves memory.
44. Is it bad to eat eggs because of their cholesterol content?
Previously, it was recommended to limit the amount of eggs consumed due to the presence of cholesterol in them. But after many studies, it turned out that the main cause of elevated blood cholesterol levels is the consumption of foods high in saturated fats (mainly meat and dairy products). Eggs are relatively low in saturated fats, while egg yolks have more healthy fats that help cells function properly. Of the 5 g of fat in an egg, only 1.5 g of harmful saturated fat, which contributes to the production of cholesterol, makes up for the harm from even this small amount of saturated fat, useful substances that prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol and help to eliminate it. Choline lowers blood cholesterol, prevents the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels. Choline is part of the phospholipid lecithin, which is an important component of body cells, helps maintain normal cholesterol levels, prevents the development of cirrhosis of the liver and cardiovascular diseases, and 50% of the liver consists of lecithin. The body's daily need for lecithin is about 5-6 grams. An egg yolk contains approximately 3.5 grams of lecithin per 100 grams of product (and 100 grams of lamb, beef or peas contain only about 0.8 grams of lecithin).
45. How many eggs can you eat per day or per week?
One egg, and it is in the egg yolk, contains approximately 215 mg of cholesterol, and the daily norm of cholesterol is about 300 mg. Therefore, people with normal cholesterol levels can safely consume 1 egg per day. With elevated cholesterol levels or certain diseases (atherosclerosis, cholecystitis, liver disease), you should limit the consumption of eggs to 3 pieces per week. When using butter, sour cream, fatty meat, sausages or nuts, it is also worth reducing the number of eggs eaten to 2-3 pieces per week. With an increased level of cholesterol, you can eat proteins, and refuse the yolks, because they contain cholesterol. Interestingly, it is in Japan, which is considered one of the world leaders in the consumption of chicken eggs per capita, that there is a record number of centenarians and there is the lowest level of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the previously popular prejudice about the dangers of eggs due to their cholesterol content has long outlived its usefulness.
This is interesting! Which came first: the chicken or the egg?
Scientists and philosophers believe that the egg was the first, theologians argue with this. Total - 2:1 - in favor of the egg. From the point of view of scientists, the egg appeared long before the appearance of the chicken in the process of evolution, in addition, everyone knows the fact that the origin of life occurs in the egg.
From Aristotle to Darwin
The first problem of "egg or chicken" (or, more precisely, "egg or bird") was raised by Aristotle. He believed that the bird and the egg appeared at the same time. More than 2 thousand years ago, Aristotle argued as follows: the egg could not be the first to give rise to birds, because it itself must be demolished by it, and there can be no first bird, since it itself appeared from the egg, then they appeared at the same time (??? ).
Later, this problem was widely discussed by the philosophers of ancient Greece, including Plutarch, who formulated the question in the usual way for us - “an egg or a chicken”. The medieval scholastics, who took the teachings of Aristotle as the basis of their philosophy, also actively dealt with this problem - and they came to much more complex conclusions than a simple reading of the Bible, from which the primacy of the chicken seems to follow:
“And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, Let the water bring forth reptiles, living creatures; and let the birds fly over the earth, in the firmament of heaven. And God created great fish, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that [it] was good. And God blessed them, saying: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth” (Genesis 1:19-22).
From the point of view of Darwin's theory, the egg was the first. Since the egg is the largest cell, and the world, according to Darwin, arose from the smallest "self-animated" cells.
Philosophical view of the egg
In turn, in order to get an answer, modern philosophers have tried to find a logical error in the question. The first idea is that the concepts of "egg" and "chicken" themselves have a fuzzy scope, and in nature there may be objects about which it is impossible to clearly say whether they are included or not included in the concepts of "egg" or "chicken".
There are different types of eggs, from eggs to ova, that some people may classify as an "egg" and others may not.
In the process of evolution, there were many intermediate forms of birds, about which it is impossible to say unequivocally whether it is a chicken or not. Before the chicken, there was an intermediate form of a bird that also laid eggs, and at some point this bird was called a chicken, and its eggs were called chicken.
Another approach suggests that there is a strict solution to the paradox - a clear line between "chicken" and "non-chicken". In this case, the solution to the paradox depends on the exact definition of what is a "hen's egg". If this is “an egg that a chicken laid”, then the chicken was first, and if it is “an egg from which a chicken will hatch”, then the egg was the first.
A beautiful solution was proposed by the British philosopher Spencer in the 19th century: “A chicken is just a way in which one egg produces another egg,” thus eliminating one of the objects of the riddle.
The modern view of biologists
Modern biologists believe that the egg as an object arose before the chicken, since egg-laying appeared much earlier than the chicken and the bird in general (for example, in dinosaurs, Archeopteryx). That is, tens of millions of years ago, long before the appearance of birds, eggs already existed.
If we talk specifically about a chicken egg, then our modern knowledge of genetics comes to the rescue. It is known that in the course of life the genetic material remains unchanged, i.e. an adult bird - the ancestor of a chicken could not mutate into a chicken after hatching from an egg.
This means that the mutation that led to the emergence of a new biological species could only occur at the stage of the embryo - inside the egg. Thus, a chicken could have hatched from an egg that was laid by an ancestor bird that was not related to the chicken species. Therefore, in an evolutionary sense, the egg was the first.
However, nature always turns out to be more amazing than our modern ideas about it. In 2012, the BBC reported on a curious case in Sri Lanka where a hen gave birth to a chick without laying an egg. The chick was born healthy and fully developed, but the hen died from internal injuries sustained during childbirth. According to veterinarians, the fertilized egg developed into a full-fledged chicken in 21 days.
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Before the egg was associated with the Christian Easter, it was a symbol of many holidays among various peoples. Ancient people considered it a symbol of the universe and the process of the spring revival of the earth. With the advent of Christianity, eggs became associated not with the awakening of nature, but with the birth of man.
Christians compared this symbol to the cave in which Christ was resurrected. Saint Augustine first described the resurrection of Christ from the dead as the appearance of a chick from an egg. This symbol was adopted in the celebration of the Christian Easter. Since then, at the end of the Easter Liturgy, the faithful exchange gifts in the form of eggs, and the priest blesses them.
The legend of the Easter egg
According to tradition, Saint Mary Magdalene (who was an aristocrat, and not a harlot, as later sources claim) met the emperor in Rome after the execution and Resurrection of Jesus. During the conversation, she condemned Pilate for having sentenced Christ and began an argument with Caesar about his resurrection.
She took a hen's egg from the table to demonstrate her point of view on the process of raising the Son of God from the dead. Caesar was imperturbable and replied that a mortal is as capable of resurrecting as an egg - turning red. The egg instantly turned red in the woman's hand! According to official legend, it is after this that Christians exchange red eggs on Easter.
Other Christian Traditions
Ancient Christian legends mixed traditional beliefs and strongly associated the egg with the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. One of the European legends tells how Mary Magdalene came to the tomb to see the body of Jesus. She took with her a basket of eggs, which were to serve as her meal. When she opened the basket in the tomb, the whitest eggshell suddenly sparkled with all the colors of the rainbow.
Another legend claims that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave eggs to the soldiers guarding the cross on which Christ slowly died. She begged the employees to take pity and cried. Her tears fell on the treats, painting them with bright colors.
Faberge eggs or what was in the first Easter egg?
The most famous painted Easter eggs were created by the famous jeweler Peter Carl Faberge. In 1883, the Russian Tsar, Alexander, commissioned Fabergé to make a special Easter gift for his wife, Empress Maria.
Taking the gift in her hands, Maria Feodorovna unfolded the skillfully made halves of the precious egg and saw a hidden golden yolk underneath. But this was not yet the main intrigue - the secret was hidden inside the yolk. It was a multicolored hen with ruby eyes. But this is not the main surprise. A hinge mechanism in the tail provided access to a miniature imperial crown adorned with diamonds and a chain with a ruby pendant.
The queen liked this special Faberge product so much that the king immediately ordered such gifts to be made for every Easter. In subsequent years, Nicholas II, son of Alexander, continued the custom. A total of 57 eggs were created, and only the overthrow of the royal system could interrupt this tradition.
Easter egg history started in biblical times. According to legend, Mary Magdalene presented a simple egg as a gift to the Roman emperor Tiberius. At the same time, she said: “Christ is risen!”. The emperor did not believe the words about the resurrection of Christ from the dead and declared that just as an egg cannot turn red from white, so the dead do not rise. Immediately after these words of the emperor, the egg presented to him turned red. This was evidence of the true resurrection of Christ.
An egg painted in the color of life and victory, as a symbol of Easter, has become an obligatory attribute since the 12th century.
The Easter egg consecrated in the temple was attributed magical properties. According to the beliefs of our ancestors, eggs placed in the red corner of the hut protected the household from diseases, and the house itself from fires. According to another belief, it was possible to put out the fire if you run around the conflagration three times with the words “Christ is Risen!”, Holding an egg consecrated in the church in your hands. But this person must be a true righteous man.
The illuminated egg, which was exchanged on Easter day with the first person who met on the street, had a special power. It was given to the sick to eat.
In the Soviet times of my childhood, we children were not particularly told about the history of the Easter egg and the traditions associated with it. Even my grandmother, who was a believer, did not tell me. She protected her grandchildren in her own way, because she remembered Stalin's times and repressions against believers very well.
But Easter lived! Our favorite pastime at Easter and throughout the Easter week was egg rolling. The fun was as follows: on the trays specially made for this, in which one end was raised above the ground, we rolled down, each with his own, painted egg. And below, in front of the tray, other eggs of the participants in the action were already lying on the ground. If my egg touched a neighbor's egg, he took mine. Adults also took part in this skating with pleasure.
Later, as an adult, I became interested in the history of this custom and found out that by rolling eggs, people woke the Earth from its winter sleep. Once upon a time, a place was chosen for this game where there was a small hill for the eggs to roll. Later, for convenience, they began to make trays with sides.
The custom of exchanging eggs still exists today. And in some villages they arrange “balls” - beating with colored eggs.
Painted eggs were called "krashenki", and painted - "pysanky". Easter story eggs says that the most common way of coloring eggs in Rus' has always been the method of coloring with onion peel. The color of the eggs is different depending on the cooking time and the amount of husk. To make it more saturated, folk wisdom advises first to boil the onion peel for half an hour, and then boil the eggs in it. So that the shell does not burst during cooking, you can put a tablespoon of salt in the water. Ready eggs are allowed to dry and rubbed with sunflower oil to shine. Although, this final chord is not required. He is an amateur.
To obtain a beautiful yellow color, our ancestors used a decoction of birch buds. When rice appeared in Rus', it was used to color eggs "speckled". Wet eggs were rolled in dry rice, wrapped in cloth and tied with thread. The rice was very close to the egg. They were cooked as usual in onion skins or birch buds.
Easter egg history continues. Today there are special souvenir inedible Easter eggs made of different materials: wood, glass, crystal, porcelain, precious metals. There are also edible, sweet chocolate ones.
And yet the true Easter egg, in my opinion, is the chicken egg dyed in onion skins, which takes us back to the time of the origin of the tradition. Everything that stands at the source is always closer to the truth.
"Faberge Eggs" is a household name. This symbol of luxury, once sold by the Bolsheviks for next to nothing, today costs fabulous money. Private collectors pay millions for the right to own famous treasures.
Origin
We can say that Carl Faberge is a hereditary jeweler. His father opened his own company in St. Petersburg in 1842. The family came to Russia from Estonia, and the ancestors of the famous jeweler were French Huguenots who fled to Germany from the unfriendly policy of the Sun King (Louis XIV). Faberge's father's workshop did nothing outstanding: brooches and tiaras, generously studded with precious stones, were in constant demand among representatives of the wealthy merchant class, but that was all.
Gustav tried his best to educate and provide for his first child, so Carl Faberge studied at the most prestigious educational institutions in Europe, studied jewelry in Frankfurt, and then returned to Russia and at the age of 24 headed the family business. Some researchers claim that he was extremely gifted in jewelry, others are sure that the outstanding talent of Karl Gustavovich was purely administrative. But the manager, as they would say now, he was from God.
Takeoff
When in 1882 an art and industrial exhibition took place in Moscow, Faberge was lucky: the products of the enterprise attracted the attention of his wife. From that moment on, fruitful cooperation between the jeweler and the monarch's family began. It must be said that the emperor gave away expensive jewelry, not only in kilograms - in tons. It was required to present gifts during official visits to the rulers of other countries, and skillfully made sets, caskets, jewelry and various trinkets with the Faberge brand were suitable here.
Soon the company received international recognition, having won the exhibition in Nuremberg (1885). The judges chose items that replicate the gold jewelry of the Scythians. In the same year, the first Faberge egg was made for the Romanovs.
Emperor's family
The Empress favored the jeweler since 1884: she was presented with a souvenir depicting a golden basket with pearl lilies of the valley. Maria Fedorovna found the thing charming, and we can say that thanks to this, Carl Faberge opened a new direction in the activity of the enterprise. Since then, a variety of fantasies, embodied in stone, gold or bone, have become his signature feature.
It must be said that the famous jeweler most of all appreciated the artistic side of the issue, and not all of his products were precious. Various useful little things were made at his enterprises, such as handles for umbrellas, bells or stone seals. According to some sources, the company even made Faberge silver sets, and they were really famous throughout Russia (and not only).
artistic side
The jeweler introduced the fashion to use not only precious stones and metals, but also simpler materials: crystal, bone, malachite, jasper, etc. At first, the company's staff did not have enough qualified personnel to implement all the ideas that Carl Faberge was filled with. The works had to be ordered from the Ural masters. But gradually many talented jewelers, engravers and artists became full-time employees of the enterprise. Among them were masters of the highest class, Faberge allowed them to put their own brand on their works.
The working day of the employees was just a slave: they had to work from seven in the morning to eleven in the evening, and on Sundays - until one in the afternoon. An amazing thing, but at the same time, Carl Faberge enjoyed the location of his subordinates: they did not leave him, did not organize competing firms, although many had such an opportunity. It must be said that the famous jeweler paid a generous salary, he did not leave old and sick workers to the mercy of fate, he did not skimp on praise.
The company had its own recognizable style. Another feature was the variety of enamels, which delight the eye with more than 120 shades, and the technique of the so-called guilloche enamel has never been reproduced.
Imperial collection eggs
Carl Faberge received the widest fame and posthumous fame thanks to which his company made every year for the imperial family. The beginning of the tradition was laid by chance. The Tsar asked the jeweler to make a surprise gift for Her Majesty Maria Feodorovna. Faberge was given freedom of choice - this is how the first egg of the imperial collection appeared.
The first sample was a golden egg covered with white enamel on the outside. Inside it was placed a yolk and a colored chicken. She, in turn, also had a secret: inside the bird was a tiny imperial crown and a ruby egg, which was subsequently lost.
The idea was not original: such souvenirs are still kept among the exhibits of several European museums (perhaps, Carl Faberge drew inspiration there).
The Empress was delighted with the gift. From that moment on, Faberge had to present a new masterpiece to the court every year, but with two conditions. Firstly, an egg with a secret could only be made for the royal family. Secondly, it had to be absolutely original.
When Nicholas II came to the throne, the tradition continued, but now Faberge created two souvenirs: for the wife of the monarch and for the dowager empress.
Bypassing the royal ban
Many years later, it became known that the jeweler nevertheless circumvented the prohibition of his august patron: seven eggs, very similar to the originals from the royal treasury, turned out to be the property of the wife of a certain gold miner. What was to blame - the fabulous wealth of Mrs. Kelch or her lovely eyes - is not known for certain. In addition to them, there are at least eight more Faberge eggs made by private orders. The fact that this fact is not documented is an excellent cover for scammers.
The house of Carl Faberge spent almost a year to make each masterpiece. The most talented artists were involved in creating sketches, and the type of the future gift was kept in the strictest confidence.
In the process of making the royal surprise, Faberge did not pursue profit: in different years, Easter eggs cost the emperor different amounts and were made from different, sometimes completely inexpensive materials. So, in 1916, the monarch received a steel egg, for which four cartridges served as a stand.
The owners of the preserved treasures
They talk about 50, 52 and even 56 copies that Faberge made for the imperial family, but some of them were lost. The Bolsheviks, having come to power, not only robbed the imperial treasury, but also sold it for nothing. The location of only 46 of them is now known.
In 2013, a truly royal gift to the residents of St. Petersburg was made by the Russian oligarch Maxim Vekselberg. He bought the world's largest collection of eggs from the Forbes family and opened the Faberge Museum, where 9 out of 15 copies can be seen by everyone. Another 10 masterpieces are among the exhibits, 13 are in museums in the United States of America, 2 in Switzerland and 13 more are scattered in private collections (several belong to
Another Faberge Museum was opened in Baden-Baden, where eggs made in 1917 are displayed: from (intended for the Dowager Empress) and glass-crystal (for Alexandra Feodorovna). The authenticity of the latter raises some doubts, since the same was found in the storerooms of the Mineralogical Museum in Moscow, but the owner of the masterpiece, another Russian billionaire Alexander Ivanov, assures that he is the owner of the original.
From 1885 to 1916, the court jeweler of the royal family, Carl Faberge, presented the king with one masterpiece a year. The total number of Easter eggs created by Faberge for the imperial family is 50.
Easter before the revolution was the favorite holiday of the people of Russia, as it coincided with the arrival of spring, warmth and the awakening of nature. At the end of the 19th century, Easter acquired a universal meaning: a whole branch of applied art was formed, which was engaged in the production of Easter products. Easter eggs were produced in huge quantities, and they were made from a variety of materials - glass, porcelain, wood, various ornamental materials, stones, and flowers.
Ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya once told how for Easter she was presented with a large egg made of live lilies of the valley, and a miniature precious egg was attached to it, which could be worn as a keychain. Once she was presented with a simple straw egg, inside of which were packed wonderful little things from Faberge.
Imperial Faberge Easter Eggs
Jewelry Easter eggs by Carl Faberge were considered the pinnacle of the genre of Easter applied art, they became a kind of symbol of the era.
Tsar Alexander III gave Faberge Easter eggs to his wife Maria Feodorovna, Tsar Nicholas II presented them as gifts to his mother and wife Alexandra Feodorovna. It is assumed that the emperors gave Easter eggs produced by Faberge and other members of the royal family. Currently, only 42 Fabergé masterpieces are known to have survived.
The order, according to which Faberge made eggs for the king, contained the fulfillment of three conditions: egg-shaped; a surprise containing a connection with some event of the royal family and the third condition - that the work should not be repeated.
Thus, these Easter gifts were created decorated with royal monograms or dates, some had miniature portraits of children and the emperor himself or images of royal residences, two of them contained models of ships on which the last Russian emperor sailed.
The egg was solemnly presented to the tsar either by Carl Faberge himself or by his son Eugene and was invariably met with great delight, since at the same time everyone could see the surprise hidden in the gift.
Egg technique
Made eggs were fastened with clasps and loops, so that if necessary, they could be easily disassembled for maintenance or repair. In turn, the use of such equipment and such a design of the product removed many restrictions in the choice of materials. Faberge combined the use of precious materials with materials that were inexpensive but easy to work with.
The "shell" of the egg was enamelled using the famous Faberge technique. If the egg consisted of two drop-down halves, the design was developed so that the finish carefully masked the closing edges of both halves.
Decorative overlays attached to the surface of Easter eggs not only defined the artistic style, but also contributed to the creation of plots that anticipated or emphasized the significance of the surprises inside. The choice of material for the manufacture of decorative finishes depended on their purpose.
In the manufacture of Easter eggs, as a substitute for gold, which has both beauty and strength, gilded bronze and gilded silver were used. Silver was also used to frame miniature surprise portraits, as it had the most lustrous surface of all materials. For purely decorative purposes, Faberge often used colored gold. Selecting the ratio of pure gold and other pure metals, he received a set of shades of different saturation.
Many Easter eggs are decorated with a continuous decorative mesh (cagework), which was made from a wide variety of materials.
Most of the details of the outer decoration, starting with frames and scallops made of gold of different shades and ending with the leaves and stems of flowers on the Lily of the Valley Easter egg, were fastened to the egg shell with the help of miniature fasteners. Fasteners soldered to the reverse side of the parts were inserted into the holes in the shells. Then they were bent along the inner surface of the shell to securely fasten the decorations. While drilling holes in the enameled shell, the egg was immersed in water so that the drill would not overheat and damage the enamel coating.
Surprises in Faberge eggs
Among the "surprises" hidden in many Faberge Easter eggs are miniature models made from precious materials, jewelry, as well as images of people, events and places that mattered to the imperial family. Some surprises are, in fact, individual works of art that can only be seen or, in some cases, set in motion when removed from the egg. Other secrets can be observed through the transparent shell of the egg.
The opening parts of the egg were hinged. The upper part of the egg shell served as a lid. The side parts were flaps that opened up or down depending on the location of the hinges. The part of the outer body of the egg that hides the surprise was usually attached to spring hinges, which are designed in such a way that when a button or pawl is pressed, it opens smoothly.
There was no object, object or plant that the Faberge masters could not reproduce as a surprise for an Easter egg. The model of the Gatchina Palace with adjacent territories, with trees, lampposts, was made of four colors of gold. The layout of the monument to Peter I, made by Falcone on the order of Catherine the Great, was also embodied in a “surprise”. The Faberge Easter Egg “Gatchina Palace” is located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, The Walters Art Museum.
The simple mechanisms used in some Easter eggs have been specially designed for each occasion. A simple gear mechanism raised and lowered three miniature portraits of Czar Nicholas II and his eldest daughters, Olga and Tatyana, in a Lily of the Valley Easter egg. Some eggs have built-in clocks, which are wound by keys, which are usually inserted into a hole in the back of the case, but there are also mechanisms that are wound by a handle. On some Easter eggs, the clock has a horizontal numeral band that rotates against a fixed marker. Inside special eggs are hidden figurines of birds that appear every hour from the top of the egg.
Perhaps the most famous “surprise” is the “Coronation” Easter egg coronation carriage - a miniature model 3 and 1/6 inches (8cm) long, made of gold and enamel - an exact copy of the carriage that was used at the coronation of Nicholas II and his wife 1896 d. “Curtains” are engraved directly on the rock crystal windows. Decorated doorknobs, smaller than a grain of rice, pivot to latch open and close. The body of the carriage rests on straps that are shock-absorbing like real leather, thus the body on the chassis also sways when the crew moves.
The most ingenious secrets are set in motion by winding mechanisms. The Swiss automatic machines of the 18th century served as the basis for the creation of these mechanisms; however, the model of the train in the Great Siberian Way Easter egg is an exact copy of the real locomotive and carriages of the Trans-Siberian Express. The working model train is folded section by section into a velvet-lined case inside the egg. The map of the railway route and the heraldic eagle crowning the entire composition also serve as a hint of the surprise hidden inside the egg.
Made in the best traditions of Faberge, the Easter egg “The Great Siberian Way” and its “surprise” are among those works of art that delight the eye, captivate the imagination and warm the soul.
Nine eggs returned to Russia
On February 4, 2004, Sotheby's auction house announced the sale, under a private agreement, of the Forbes Faberge collection to Russian industrialist Viktor Vekselberg, who returned the eggs to Russia. Before returning to Russia, the collection, including the legendary nine Imperial Easter Eggs, was presented at a public exhibition at Sotheby's in New York. This part of the collection, consisting of nine eggs, was valued at $ 90 million, the final amount of the transaction was not disclosed. Sotheby's auction house carried out this private transaction on behalf of the Forbes family.
Source: Imperial Faberge Easter Eggs
Faberge Easter eggs from the collection of the Moscow Kremlin (Armoury)
One of the oldest and richest museums in the Moscow Kremlin is the Armory, which has a wonderful collection of monuments.
arts and crafts. The collection of the national treasury presents products of Russian jewelry firms of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Among them are the works of the famous Faberge firm: watches, cigarette cases, jewelry, silverware, tea and coffee sets, crystal vase frames, miniature sculptural figurines made of colored ornamental stones.
The pride of the collection is ten imperial Easter eggs with surprises, which are the pinnacle of creative inspiration and honed craftsmanship of a whole galaxy of outstanding jewelers and artists under the guidance of Carl Faberge, who at the beginning of the 20th century was recognized in Paris as a Maitre - one of the best jewelers of our time. 
Making elaborately decorated Easter eggs was both a tradition and
old craft in Russia. Long before Faberge began creating jewelry eggs for the imperial family, eggs made from precious metals and stones were made for Russian tsars. But only Carl Faberge and his talented team of artists, jewelers, stone cutters, model sculptors and miniaturists managed to bring the art of making jewelry Easter eggs to an unprecedented and unsurpassed level of elegance, craftsmanship and creative imagination.
In total, from 1885 to 1917, by order of the emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II, about 56 Easter masterpieces were created (the exact number is unknown). Eggs made in the workshop of Mikhail Perkhin, which after his death was headed by Heinrich Wigström, were distinguished by unprecedented luxury, amazing imagination, unsurpassed perfection in detail, and a virtuoso combination of a variety of techniques. Never repeating themselves, they were especially impressive with the surprises contained in them - miniature copies of royal yachts and cruisers with the finest gear, palaces with flowerbeds of “fluffy” gold broken in front of them, monuments strewn with stones, flowers or buds.
Jewelry Easter eggs-souvenirs were a surprise not only for those to whom they were intended as a gift, but often for the emperor who ordered them. "Your Majesty will be pleased" - such an answer was usually given by Faberge to the question about the plot of the next egg.
Egg with a model of the cruiser "Memory of Azov", 1891
On the armored ship "Memory of Azov", built at the Baltic Shipyard in the late 80s of the XIX century, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich (future Emperor Nicholas II) traveled to the East in 1890-1891, during which he was attacked by a Japanese samurai fanatic in the city of Otsu and miraculously survived. The voyage ended in Vladivostok, where the Tsarevich and heir to the throne laid the foundation for the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The egg was presented by Emperor Alexander III to Empress Maria Feodorovna for Easter 1891.
Egg clock, 1899 
The clock hand resembles Cupid's arrow shot from a bow; it is surrounded by torches, whose flames turn into lush vegetative curls. Together with a bouquet of lilies "sprouting" through a wreath of multi-colored gold roses, they symbolize the virtuous flame of family love. This Easter egg, made in the form of an old French clock in the style of Louis XVI, is a kind of embodied declaration of love by Nicholas II to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
Egg with a model of a Siberian train, 1900 
This Easter egg is a typical example of a commemorative gift product created by the company in honor of an important historical event - the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, inspired by Emperor Alexander III and continued into the reign of Nicholas II. The road connected the European and Asian parts of Russia, the largest industrial cities with the military port of Vladivostok, which gave impetus to the intensive development of the vast Siberian outskirts.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
Egg clover, 1902 
On the openwork rim of the egg there is an image of the imperial crown, the date "1902" and the monogram of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna framed by clover flowers. The surprise is gone. But the museum staff managed to find a unique archival document, from which it follows that a precious quatrefoil with 4 miniatures was fortified inside. Probably, portraits of the royal daughters (Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia) were depicted on the petals of the surprise, therefore it was a symbol of the happy marriage of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, a symbol of the union of two loving people. According to legend, it was believed that finding a four-leaf clover was a great rarity and good luck. The egg is made in the "modern" style with its floral motifs and exquisite outlines, which is the best suited for the embodiment of an intimate family theme.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1902.
Egg "Moscow Kremlin", 1904-1906 
This Easter egg was made to commemorate the stay of the tsar and the tsarina in the Mother See of the golden-domed capital during the celebration of Easter in 1903, which was received with enthusiasm by the entire Russian society and, in particular, by Muscovites. Carrying out this work of extraordinary design, the masters of the Faberge firm sought to create an image of the ancient Kremlin - both majestic and fabulously elegant. Before us is a peculiar, virtuoso variation on the theme of the Kremlin architecture.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1906.
Egg with a model of the Alexander Palace, 1908 
The Alexander Palace was the country residence of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, who rarely left the walls of the palace and led a rather secluded life, for which they were called "Tsarskoye Selo hermits".
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1908.
Egg with a model of the yacht "Standard", 1909
The yacht "Standart" was the favorite yacht of Nicholas II. On it, the king's family spent a lot of time in the skerries of the Gulf of Finland, until the yacht was wrecked in the coastal skerries.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1909.
Egg with a model of the monument to Alexander III, 1910
The model inside the egg reproduces the monument by the sculptor P. Trubetskoy, erected on the Znamenskaya Square in St. Petersburg near the Nikolaevsky railway station in accordance with the rescript of Nicholas II in memory of his father.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Maria Feodorovna for Easter 1910.
Egg "300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty", 1913 
The egg, made for the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty, is decorated with eighteen miniature portraits of representatives of the reigning dynasty. Flat diamonds are fixed at the top and bottom of the egg, through which the dates "1613" and "1913" are visible. Inside the egg, a rotating blued steel globe is fixed, on which a gold overlay image of the Northern Hemisphere is placed twice: on the one, the territory of Russia within the borders of 1613 is marked with colored gold, on the other - within the borders of 1913. In the decor of the egg, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the ruling dynasty, which was magnificently celebrated in the empire, elements of state symbols were abundantly used.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1913.
Egg with a miniature on an easel, 1916 
The steel egg was created during the First World War, a difficult time for both Russia and the royal family. Therefore, its appearance is strict, and the decor is official and dry. Since the egg was created in honor of awarding the Tsar with the Order of St. George IV degree, the gold frame of the miniature is decorated with a black and orange ribbon and a white enamel cross of this order.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1916.
Faberge is today, perhaps, one of the most famous jewelry brands. And all thanks to the precious eggs that were produced by this jewelry house for the Russian imperial family. Today, these works of art are a huge rarity, surrounded by secrets, and their value reaches tens of millions of dollars. In our review, little-known facts about the most famous eggs in the world.
1. The first egg was made in 1885 by order of Alexander III
The tradition of painting Easter eggs has existed in Russia since ancient times. The imperial family followed suit. But in 1885, Tsar Alexander III, without suspecting it, somewhat transformed this tradition. Deciding to surprise his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, he gave her a special gift - an egg with a secret.
It was a precious white-enamelled egg with a golden band running across it. It opened, and inside was a golden "yolk". In it, in turn, sat a golden hen, inside of which there was a ruby crown and pendant. The Empress was delighted with such a gift.
2. The first egg had a prototype
Actually, Faberge did not come up with this Easter matryoshka himself. According to the idea of Alexander III, the Easter egg with a secret was supposed to be a free interpretation of an egg made at the beginning of the 18th century, 3 copies of which are known today.
They are located: in Rosenborg Castle (Copenhagen); in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna) and in a private collection (formerly in the Green Vaults art gallery, Dresden). In all the mentioned instances of eggs, a chicken is hidden, opening which, you can find a crown, and in it - a ring. It is believed that the emperor wanted to please his wife with a surprise that would remind her of a well-known product from the Danish royal treasury.
3. All Faberge eggs contain a surprise.
The empress was so fascinated by the gift that Faberge, who made the egg, instantly turned into a court jeweler and received a lifetime order. He had to produce an egg every year. There was only one condition - the egg must contain some kind of surprise. The fact that it should be made in a single copy was not even discussed.
Since then, Alexander III presented his wife with a new precious egg every Easter. This tradition was continued by the son of Alexander III, Nicholas II, who on Easter holidays gave precious eggs to his mother and wife.
Each Faberge egg contained a tiny miracle: a miniature copy of the royal crown, a ruby pendant, a mechanical swan, an elephant, a golden mini copy of the palace, 11 tiny portraits on an easel, a ship model, an exact working copy of the royal carriage, etc.
4. The Bolsheviks underestimated Faberge eggs and thus saved them
After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks, trying to replenish the treasury of the "world's first communist state," sold Russian artistic treasures. They plundered churches, sold paintings by old masters from the Hermitage Museum and took up crowns, tiaras, necklaces and Faberge eggs that belonged to the Emperor's family.
In 1925, a catalog of valuables from the imperial court (crowns, wedding crowns, a scepter, orb, tiaras, necklaces and other valuables, including the famous Faberge eggs) was sent to all foreign representatives in the USSR. Part of the Diamond Fund was sold to the English antiquary Norman Weiss.
In 1928, seven “low-value” Faberge eggs and 45 other items were seized from the Diamond Fund.
However, it was thanks to this assessment, unflattering for the creator of jewelry masterpieces, that Faberge eggs were saved from being melted down.
Thus, one of the most incredible creations of Faberge, the Peacock Egg, was preserved. Inside the masterpiece of crystal and gold was an enamelled peacock. Moreover, this bird was mechanical - when it was removed from the golden branch, the peacock raised its tail like a real bird and could even walk.
5. The fate of several eggs is unknown
In total, Faberge made 52 eggs for the Russian Imperial Court, 19 others were made by order of private individuals. After the 1917 revolution, many were lost. 62 eggs have survived to this day, of which 10 items are in the Kremlin collection, some belong to the Fabergé jewelry house, the rest are in museums and private collections.The location of several imperial eggs is not known for certain. For example, the fate of the travel bag egg, created in the Faberge workshop in 1889, is shrouded in mystery.
The last time this egg was allegedly seen in one of the London shops in 1949. According to rumors, it was sold to an unknown person for $1250.
6. One of the imperial eggs was bought by a buyer of precious metals for 8,000 pounds.
One of the lost imperial Easter eggs was found in a completely amazing way. This egg, which belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna and then disappeared without a trace for more than 90 years, was purchased at a flea market in the United States by a buyer of precious scrap.
The last time this Faberge piece was seen was in 1922 in Moscow. An egg made of gold and adorned with diamonds and sapphires, 8.2 cm high, was confiscated by the Bolsheviks. Its further fate remained unknown for a long time, until in 1964 a unique work of jewelry art went under the hammer at a New York auction called an "egg-shaped gold watch" for $2,450.
An American who bought a golden egg for 8 thousand pounds ($ 14,000) could not know its true value. For several years he tried to sell the egg by keeping it in his kitchen. Tired of unsuccessful attempts, he tried to find out something about the manufacturer and typed in the search engine the name engraved on the built-in watch. That's how he came across an article by Kieran McCarthy, director of the royal jewelery house Wartski. He called McCarthy and then came to London with pictures of his purchase.
The expert immediately recognized them as one of the eggs created by a famous jeweler for members of the Russian imperial family.
“Probably, Indiana Jones experienced similar feelings when he found the lost ark,” the head of the jewelry house described his emotions to journalists.
7. Queen Elizabeth II owns three Faberge Imperial Eggs
There are three Faberge imperial Easter eggs in the collection of the British Royal Family: "Colonnade", "Basket of Flowers" and "Mosaic". The flower basket is the most famous masterpiece in this trio. The miniature bouquet of flowers is incredibly realistic!
Eggs are one of the most ancient types of human food.
They are included in the sacred symbolism, myths, fairy tales and sayings of most peoples of the world and in many cultures are a symbol of life.
This is a valuable food product containing almost everything, except for vitamin C, vital substances for a person: vitamins A, D, E, H, K, PP and group B, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, fluorine, manganese, iodine.
At the same time, it is also a low-calorie food: in one average instance, there are about 75 calories. They perfectly combine proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, while one piece can contain up to 14% of the daily protein requirement.
Eggs are the only type of food that is 97% digestible, which is why (and also due to the richest composition) the yolk is one of the first to be introduced into baby food.
How to know if an egg is fresh and why an egg floats in water; does the chick breathe in the egg; what is the danger of raw eggs; at what temperature salmonella dies; how to cook and store chicken eggs; Can eggs be stored in the freezer? why there are two yolks in an egg, as well as other interesting facts about eggs.
1. What does a chicken egg consist of?
The formed egg consists of protein, yolk, shell and membranes. In a chicken egg, 10-12% of the mass is the shell, 56-61% is the protein and 27-32% is the yolk. In the liquid content of an egg without a shell, the protein accounts for approximately 64%, and the yolk - 36%.
2. What is an eggshell made of?
According to studies by Hungarian doctors, it has been proven that the egg shell is 90% calcium carbonate (calcium carbonate). In addition, the shell also contains magnesium (0.55%), phosphorus (0.25%), silicon (0.12%), potassium (0.08%), sodium (0.03%), copper, iron, sulfur, fluorine, aluminum, manganese, zinc, molybdenum and many other elements (27 in total). Interestingly, the composition of the eggshell is very similar to the composition of human bones and teeth.
Outside, the shell is covered with a layer of dried mucus - the shell membrane, which protects against the evaporation of moisture from the egg and the penetration of microorganisms. Inside there is a shell membrane, which does not allow protein to pass through, delays the penetration of bacteria, but passes air, moisture and ultraviolet rays. And it is followed by an elastic protein film.
3. How does a chicken breathe in an egg through the shell?
The egg breathes through the pores in the shell. At first glance, the shell seems to be dense, but in fact it has a porous, gas-permeable structure. If you look at the surface of the shell through a magnifying glass, you can see many small pores through which air passes for the chicken. Through the pores, oxygen enters the egg, and carbon dioxide and moisture are removed to the outside. The shell of a chicken egg has about 7500 pores! There are more pores on the blunt end of the egg and fewer on the sharp one.
4. What is the thickness of a chicken egg shell?
The thickness of the shell of chicken eggs ranges from 0.3 to 0.4 mm, and it is not the same over the entire surface of the egg. At the sharp end of the egg, the shell is slightly thicker than at the blunt one. It is worth noting that the eggs of the same bird may have different shell thicknesses. The shell is thicker at the start of lay, usually in winter, and thinner from March to September. One of the reasons for the decrease in shell strength is the depletion of calcium reserves in the bird's body by the end of the laying season.
5. What determines the color of an eggshell?
The color of the egg shell depends on the breed of the laying hen. Interestingly, in most cases, hens with white earlobes lay white eggs, while hens with red ears lay brown eggs.
6. Which eggs are better - white or brown?
This question interests many housewives. In fact, there is no difference between brown and white eggs. The color of the shell of chicken eggs does not affect the nutritional value of the egg, its taste and quality. It also has nothing to do with the freshness of the eggs. However, it should be noted that brown eggs have a thicker shell, but blood stains are more common in them. Due to the stronger shell, brown eggs keep a little longer and are easier to transport without damage. Therefore, poultry farmers appreciate them.
7. How can you tell fresh eggs from stale ones?
You need to put the egg in the water. If it is fresh, it will lie at the bottom of the dish in a horizontal position. If the egg is more than one week old, then its blunt end will float up. An egg that hangs vertically in water is 2-3 weeks old, and an egg that floats up is 6-7 weeks old.
8. Why do stale eggs float?
The buoyancy of an egg depends on its freshness. The fact is that at the blunt end of the egg, an air chamber (puga) is gradually formed between the subshell and albuminous membranes. During storage, moisture evaporates from the egg through the pores, contributing to an increase in air space. Therefore, the longer the egg is stored, the more the size of the air chamber increases. That's why you should choose eggs with a matte surface, not a shiny one, when buying - this indicates the degree of their freshness. If the eggs are large but light, they have a large air chamber and are nearing the end of their shelf life. To determine the freshness of an egg in a store, you can shake it. If the contents dangle from side to side, such an egg is already spoiled and you can’t buy it.
9. Why are eggs sometimes difficult to shell?
It turns out that it depends on the freshness of the eggs. The content of recently laid eggs adheres more tightly to the shell film, so fresh eggs are more difficult to peel. And if they lie in the refrigerator for a week or two, then after cooking they can be cleaned easier and faster.
10. Why do hard-boiled eggs sometimes have a grey-green yolk?
This happens if, as a rule, a not very fresh egg is boiled for too long or if it is not cooled in time after boiling. In overcooked eggs, the yolk shell becomes greenish. This is due to the reaction of iron and sulfur, which are contained in eggs. When the eggs are heated, the sulfur from the protein comes into contact with the iron from the yolk and iron sulfide is formed at the junction between them, due to which a gray-green color appears around the yolk. The older the eggs, the faster this happens. Prolonged cooking and high temperatures also speed up this reaction.
11. Can you eat eggs with green yolks?
Yes, these eggs are edible. A greenish color on the yolk shell does not affect the taste of the egg and does not mean that it is spoiled. However, strongly overcooked eggs deteriorate in protein quality, so do not boil them for more than 10 minutes. To avoid greening of the yolk, use fresher eggs and refrigerate them immediately after boiling.
12. Why are there blood stains in chicken eggs?
Sometimes small specks of blood can be seen in the eggs. They appear due to the fact that the blood vessels burst in the laying hen and blood enters the yolk during separation from the ovary. Blood spots are more common in brown eggs. These blood inclusions should not be confused with the embryo. It happens that eggs have a blood ring on the yolk. This means that the embryo began to develop in the egg and the circulatory system of the chicken was formed (if the egg was stored at a high temperature), but the embryo died at an early stage of development.
13. Can you eat eggs with blood stains?
Yes, these eggs are quite suitable for consumption. Blood droplets in the egg do not pose a threat to health and do not affect the taste in any way. But red spots on the surface of the yolk look unappetizing, so it is better to remove them with the tip of a knife before cooking. However, eggs with a blood ring in which the embryo has already begun to form should not be consumed in any form.
14. Which country consumes the most eggs?
Mexico ranks first in the world in terms of egg consumption per capita. According to Mexican experts, each resident of the country eats 21.9 kg of eggs per year, which is an average of one and a half eggs per day. Mexicans eat more eggs daily than in any other country. Japan used to be the world leader in egg consumption per capita. Each inhabitant of this country annually consumes 320 eggs, that is, approximately one egg per day.
15. Why does the yolk stay in one position in the middle of the egg?
The protein of a chicken egg consists of three layers: the outer and inner layers are liquid, and the middle one is denser. The protein around the yolk is denser than under the shell. In this layer, which is located around the yolk, elastic twisted cords are formed on both sides of the yolk between the blunt and sharp ends of the egg. It is these protein cords, the so-called hailstones or chalazes (Chalazae), that hold the yolk in the center of the egg, but do not prevent it from turning around its axis. Chalaza are formed from a dense protein, they can be seen on an egg poured in a saucer. Their ends float freely in the albumen - the curl on the blunt side of the egg floats in the layer of more fluid protein surrounding it, and the curl on the sharp side of the egg penetrates the denser middle layer of protein.
16. Why is protein sometimes opaque?
The cloudy white color of the protein is due to the presence of a large amount of carbon dioxide CO2 in the egg. A cloudy white is a sign of the freshness of the egg, as carbon dioxide has not yet had time to leave it. In old eggs, this element evaporates through the pores of the shell.
17. What are the yellow and greenish crystals found in egg yolk?
This is riboflavin (lactoflavin or vitamin B2) - one of the most important vitamins. Riboflavin is yellow crystals, poorly soluble in water. Egg yolk is one of the dietary sources of riboflavin. 100 grams of eggs contain 0.3-0.8 mg of riboflavin (vitamin B2).
18. Can you eat raw eggs?
No, raw eggs should not be consumed, let alone given to children. They can contain pathogens of many diseases, for example, salmonella bacteria, which cause food poisoning in humans, and sometimes severe forms of salmonellosis with complications. Raw or undercooked eggs, as well as dishes with them (homemade mayonnaise, pudding, some sauces and creams, egg cocktails) are potential sources of infection. Eating soft-boiled eggs or insufficiently fried fried eggs with a runny yolk can lead to unpleasant consequences. On the other hand, hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, or well-done scrambled eggs will not cause salmonellosis or food poisoning. Bacteria can be found both on the shell and inside the egg, so it's important to cook it properly. Heat treatment kills germs. It should be noted that annually in large countries more than 400,000 people become victims of egg poisoning, of which about 200 cases end in death. In addition, raw eggs do not benefit the body, as they are absorbed much worse than boiled ones.
The egg until the moment of laying is a sterile product. And yet, already a few seconds after demolition, having such an impressive shell protection, its contents are affected by environmental microorganisms.
What happens to him?
To begin with, we note that when laid, the egg has a body temperature of the laying hen - 41-42 ° C. Once in the external environment, it cools down to the ambient temperature within two hours, while shrinking in volume. Through numerous tiny pores, which are more numerous at the blunt end of the egg, due to the difference in osmotic pressure, air is drawn into the egg. Together with the contents, the albuginea is also reduced, due to which a bundle is formed between the latter and the shell membranes and an air chamber is created - a pug.
Together with air, household and pathogenic (pathogenic) microflora penetrates into the egg. Here it finds a fertile environment for its development and distribution.
So the purity of raw eggs directly depends on the cleanliness and sufficient air exchange in the house and nests.
20. What are the signs of food poisoning?
The main symptoms of food poisoning are abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, an unpleasant taste in the mouth, headache and dizziness, often fever, severe weakness, and in severe cases, loss of consciousness. In case of acute poisoning, after 1-2 hours the temperature rises, severe vomiting and loose stools, dizziness and weakness appear, the pulse quickens, the skin of the face turns white, the color of the lips changes, and with botulism, suffocation and respiratory arrest may occur. Therefore, when such symptoms appear, you should immediately call an ambulance.
21. How to avoid food poisoning when eating eggs?
When buying eggs, check the expiration date. It is better to buy eggs in a store - there is usually a date stamped on the shell. Check that the eggs are not cracked or broken - it is better not to use such eggs. If the egg turned out to be stale or has an unpleasant odor, it must be thrown away immediately and in no case be consumed or given to animals, otherwise severe poisoning can occur. Fresher eggs are less likely to breed Salmonella. A natural defense mechanism inhibits their growth in eggs for 20 days. It is better not to risk and not drink raw eggs, do not cook soft-boiled eggs or fried eggs. Recipes using raw eggs should be avoided.
Bacteria can be both inside the eggs and on the shell, so eggs should be thoroughly washed with hot water (temperature 80 ° C) for at least 7 seconds before cooking. The fact is that Salmonella bacteria can get into the egg from the surface of the eggshell when it is broken. In addition, bacteria spread very easily to hands, dishes, tables, other foods and objects, so be sure to wash your hands before and after touching the eggs, and after cooking, wash everything that touched the eggs. Wash your hands after cracking a raw egg for cooking. When cooking, never put raw and then cooked foods on the same plate. Even properly cooked food can be contaminated with bacteria if drops or small particles of raw food accidentally get into it. Make sure that the scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs are well fried and do not remain raw. Boil or fry semi-finished products (dumplings, meatballs and others) well. Processing food until cooked through is the only way to kill potentially dangerous bacteria and avoid severe food poisoning.
22. What is the most famous bacterium in eggs?
This is salmonella, which lives in poultry eggs, meat, milk and dairy products. Salmonellosis (or paratyphoid) is an acute intestinal disease caused by various types of Salmonella, a very common form of food poisoning. The main route of Salmonella infection is through food. These bacteria multiply rapidly in foodstuffs (especially when warm), but do not change their taste and appearance. Salmonella accumulate in products of animal origin, tolerate drying, freezing, and survive in water for up to 2 months. They are resistant to smoking, salting, marinades, but quickly destroyed when boiled. The incubation period lasts from 2-6 hours to 2-3 days. Salmonellosis is characterized by damage to the gastrointestinal tract and the development of intoxication and is accompanied by diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, headache, malaise, and fever. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor. Salmonella enteritidis (Salmonella enteritidis) is the most common type of such bacteria in many countries.
23. How many minutes does it take to cook eggs?
Salmonella are very resistant and die only with prolonged heat treatment. They breed at temperatures from +7 to +45°C, and the best temperature for them is +35-37°C. At temperatures below +5°C, the growth of Salmonella stops. At +70-75°C salmonella die within 5-10 minutes, and when boiled instantly. Therefore, only hard-boiled eggs can be completely safe. Eggs should be boiled for 8-10 minutes from the moment the water boils, and scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs should be fried until dry.
24. At what temperature do egg whites and yolks harden?
Protein thickens at +60°C and hardens at +65°C. The yolk begins to thicken at +65°C and becomes hard at +73°C.
25. At what temperature should dishes containing eggs be cooked and stored?
Dishes containing eggs must be heated to a temperature of at least +70°C during cooking in order to kill bacteria. Re-heating food that has been stored for some time should also be at a temperature of at least + 70 ° C. Food should be stored at temperatures either above +60°C or below +10°C. Cooked food should not be stored at room temperature. At +20-40°C every 20 minutes the number of bacteria doubles and the risk of poisoning increases. A favorable environment for the reproduction of microbes is warm and humid. And the cold stops them from growing. Therefore, after eating, the remaining products should be immediately removed in the refrigerator.
26. How to properly store chicken eggs?
Immediately after buying the eggs should be put in the refrigerator. Eggs are recommended to be stored in the coldest place of the refrigerator (closer to the back wall) separately from other products and in special packaging. Although most refrigerators have a dedicated egg compartment on the door, it is wrong to store eggs in the refrigerator door. This is the warmest place, and the refrigerator is often opened and the eggs are exposed to frequent temperature fluctuations.
27. Why is it better to store eggs in a package?
Eggshells have thousands of pores through which odors can enter, as well as bacteria. Therefore, eggs must be kept in special trays and away from products with a strong smell, so they stay fresh longer. In addition, storage in egg trays will avoid the spread of bacteria from eggs to neighboring products.
28. What is the best way to store eggs - sharp or blunt end down?
Eggs are best laid with the pointed end down so that the yolks are centered. In this position, the eggs will be able to “breathe” and keep their freshness longer, since there are more pores at the blunt end through which oxygen enters the egg and carbon dioxide exits. In addition, at the blunt end of the egg there is an air space in which there can be bacteria, and when turned over to the blunt end, they float up and enter the egg.
29. Can eggs be stored in the freezer?
No, you should not store eggs in the freezer - they will freeze there. The ideal temperature for storing eggs is +4°C.
30. How long do eggs keep in the refrigerator?
Fresh eggs keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 weeks from the date of manufacture. It is not recommended to store eggs for more than 6 weeks, even in the refrigerator. Eggs are stored for a long time due to the fact that there is a protective film on their surface. Therefore, it is advisable to wash them immediately before cooking.
31. How long can boiled eggs be stored?
Hard-boiled eggs in the shell can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, but it is best to eat them within 3 days. Boiling destroys the protective film on the shell, which helps the egg to be stored longer. Egg dishes must be stored in the refrigerator. Egg salads are stored for 3-4 days, stuffed eggs - 2-3 days.
32. Can eggs be stored at room temperature?
You can, but it's better not to. Without a refrigerator, eggs spoil very quickly, even in one day at room temperature they lose their freshness. One day of storage of eggs at room temperature is equal to a whole week of storage in the refrigerator.
33. How much does one chicken egg weigh?
The mass of the egg ranges from 35 to 75 grams. The average weight of a chicken egg is 50-55 grams. This means that a dozen medium eggs can weigh 500-550 grams, and a kilogram will be about 20 eggs.
34. How much do egg white and yolk weigh separately?
The weight of the yolk is approximately 1/3 of the weight of the whole egg, and the weight of the albumen is 2/3 of the weight of the egg. That is, in an average egg, the yolk weighs 17 grams, and the egg white weighs 34 grams. And in one kilogram there will be 59 yolks or 30 proteins.
35. What determines the color of the yolk?
The color of the egg yolk - light yellow or bright orange - depends on the nutrition of the chicken. The carotenoids contained in the feed of chickens give the yellow color to the yolk. Carotenoids are naturally occurring pigments that are yellow, orange, or red in color. They give color to many plants, including vegetables and fruits. The more the chicken eats feed containing carotenoids (corn, alfalfa, grass meal), the brighter the color of the yolk. However, not all carotenoids give color to the yolk. For example, canthaxanthin and lutein impart a golden yellow color to the yolk, while beta-carotene does not affect the color. It should be noted that the color of the yolk does not affect the quality, nutritional value and taste of the egg.
36. What does the marking on eggs mean?
Each egg produced in a poultry farm and sold in a store must be labeled. Eggs are divided into dietary and table. Eggs are considered dietary for the first 7 days after they have been laid. Therefore, it is important to look at the date of manufacture. Such eggs are suitable for diet and baby food. Diet eggs after 7 days of storage are considered table eggs.
The first sign of the marking indicates the permissible shelf life:
- The letter "D" means a dietary egg, which is sold within 7 days.
- The letter "C" means a table egg, such eggs are sold within 25 days.
These periods are valid provided that the eggs are stored at temperatures between 0 and +20°C.
The second character in the marking indicates the category of the egg depending on its weight:
- "B" the highest category - 75 grams or more.
- "O" selected egg - from 65 to 74.9 grams.
- "1" first category - from 55 to 64.9 grams.
- "2" second category - from 45 to 54.9 grams.
- "3" third category - from 35 to 44.9 grams.
If the eggs are sold without any marking at all, you should not risk your health and buy them. Eggs of different categories differ only in weight, and their shell color may be different. In addition, some eggs come with two yolks.
37. And what determines the size of a chicken egg?
The mass and size of eggs depend on various factors. Chief among them is the age of the laying hen. Younger hens are more likely to lay small eggs, while older hens lay larger eggs. At first, the mass of eggs can be 40-50 grams, and by the age of the chicken it increases to 57-65 grams. The size of the eggs also depends on the breed and weight of the laying hen. Chickens weighing below normal lay small eggs. Housing conditions, bird feeding, climate, season of the year and time of day of laying also affect the size of the eggs. For example, in warm weather, hens eat less, which often results in smaller eggs. Although sometimes young hens also carry large eggs or even eggs with two yolks. And it happens that more yolks are found in the egg!
38. Why do chickens lay two-yolk eggs?
According to experts, eggs with two yolks are an anomaly. Double-yolk eggs are produced when two cells mature at the same time and pass through the hen's reproductive system together. Typically, such eggs are laid either by young laying hens that have not yet established reproductive cycles, or by mature birds (about one year old). The greatest number of two-yolk eggs are laid by hens in the first weeks of oviposition. The ability of hens to lay two-yolk eggs can be inherited. However, sometimes eggs with two yolks can be a sign of a diseased bird. If hens have problems with ovulation, inflammation of the oviduct, then they can carry eggs with two yolks, no yolk, too small or with various defects. Diseases of the oviduct in chickens can occur due to violations of the conditions of feeding and maintenance of laying hens, dampness and dirt in the room.
Eggs with two yolks are quite rare in nature and are not viable. They never hatch chickens. Previously, such eggs were considered non-standard and processed into egg powder. But then they began to be in demand among buyers, because they do not differ in taste from ordinary ones, but weigh more - 70-80 grams (while selected eggs weigh 65-75 grams). Therefore, chickens are now specially bred at poultry farms, which carry eggs with two yolks. Eggs with two yolks are completely harmless and suitable for consumption.
39. How many eggs does a hen lay in a year?
In one year, a laying hen lays about 220-250 eggs, and some hens lay up to 300 eggs or even more. It takes approximately 24-26 hours for a hen to lay an egg. Half an hour after the hen laid an egg, a new egg begins to form in her body. It has been noticed that white chickens carry an average of 45 more eggs per year than red or dark ones.
40. What determines the egg production of chickens?
The number of eggs obtained from a chicken for a certain period of time, that is, egg production, depends on the breed of chicken, its age, conditions of keeping, nutrition, health of the bird, and also on hereditary properties and individual characteristics. For example, hens of egg breeds lay 10-12% more eggs than meat-egg hens and almost twice as many as hens of meat breeds. Hens of egg-laying breeds begin to lay their first eggs at the age of 5-6 months. Hens are able to lay eggs for about 10 years. But increased egg production is observed in the first year of laying, during which hens can lay 250-300 eggs. With the age of the bird, egg production decreases by 10-15% per year compared to the first year of laying. Therefore, on industrial farms, it is economically profitable to use chickens only during the first year of laying, and on breeding farms - 2-3 years. And in the second or third year, only the best laying hens are left. Typically, a breeding flock consists of 55-60% young hens, 30-35% two-year-olds and 10% three-year-olds. Roosters are used up to 2 years, the most valuable - up to 3 years.
41. What does egg white consist of?
The egg block consists of water (85%), proteins (12-13%), carbohydrates (0.7%), fats (0.3%), glucose, various enzymes, vitamins of group B. Half of the protein contained in the protein is concentrated in an egg. It contains all the amino acids necessary for the construction of the protein of the human body, as well as lysozyme, a protein substance that kills and dissolves microorganisms, including putrefactive ones. But the protective properties of the protein are reduced during long-term storage. The protein is liquid near the shell and thicker around the yolk. Egg protein is the most easily digestible and complete protein found in food. It is considered a reference protein and other proteins are evaluated against it. Egg white contains approximately 17 calories.
42. What does the yolk of an egg consist of?
Egg yolk consists of water (50%), fats (more than 30%), proteins (16%), carbohydrates (0.2%), cholesterol and minerals. However, eggs are not a fatty product, since the yolk contains more harmless unsaturated fats (70-75%), and saturated fats - about 28%. Egg yolk is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, D, E, PP and others, and also contains phosphorus, potassium, calcium, chlorine, sulfur, iron, manganese, iodine, copper, cobalt. In addition, egg yolk contains lecithin, which is involved in metabolism and is necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system. The yolk is covered on the outside with a thin transparent shell and consists of alternating concentric dark and light layers. The yolk contains about 60 calories, which is three times more than the protein.
43. What are the benefits of chicken eggs?
Eggs contain all the nutrients necessary for the normal functioning of the human body. This is an indispensable food product that is prepared quickly and is inexpensive. Eggs are an ideal combination of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Eggs are a valuable source of protein. One egg contains 12-14% of the recommended daily protein intake for an adult. The average chicken egg contains approximately 6.5 grams of protein (protein), as well as 5.8 grams of easily digestible fats rich in phospholipids, which are involved in the transport of fats in the body, are part of all cell membranes. The proteins and fats of chicken eggs are well absorbed by the body. Eggs are the only food that is 97-98% digestible. In terms of nutritional value, one chicken egg is equivalent to 200 ml of milk or 50 g of meat. For young children, it is the second most important food after breast milk. Eggs are low in calories - one medium egg contains 75 calories.
Chicken eggs are rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements needed in the daily human diet. Eggs have vitamins A, D, E, H, K, PP and B vitamins. They only lack vitamin C. They also contain phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, fluorine, manganese, iodine. Phosphorus is a part of all tissues of the body, participates in metabolism, affects the activity of the heart and kidneys, and is necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system. Calcium forms the basis of bone tissue, is found in the skeleton and teeth, and affects blood clotting. Iron is involved in the processes of hematopoiesis, is necessary for the formation of hemoglobin, provides oxygen transportation in the body. Magnesium supports the normal functioning of the brain, takes part in the formation of bones and the regulation of blood sugar levels. Potassium regulates the acid-base balance of the blood, participates in the transmission of nerve impulses, improves the functioning of the heart and kidneys.
Eggs are a valuable source of folic acid, biotin, and choline, which is found in egg yolks. Folic acid (vitamin B9) normalizes the functioning of the circulatory system, supports the immune system. Biotin (vitamin H) is part of the enzymes that regulate protein and fat metabolism. It improves the condition of the skin, hair and nails. Choline (vitamin B4) prevents the formation of fats in the liver, lowers cholesterol levels, activates the brain, improves memory.
44. Is it bad to eat eggs because of their cholesterol content?
Previously, it was recommended to limit the amount of eggs consumed due to the presence of cholesterol in them. But after many studies, it turned out that the main cause of elevated blood cholesterol levels is the consumption of foods high in saturated fats (mainly meat and dairy products). Eggs are relatively low in saturated fats, while egg yolks have more healthy fats that help cells function properly. Of the 5 g of fat in an egg, only 1.5 g of harmful saturated fat, which contributes to the production of cholesterol, makes up for the harm from even this small amount of saturated fat, useful substances that prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol and help to eliminate it. Choline lowers blood cholesterol, prevents the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels. Choline is part of the phospholipid lecithin, which is an important component of body cells, helps maintain normal cholesterol levels, prevents the development of cirrhosis of the liver and cardiovascular diseases, and 50% of the liver consists of lecithin. The body's daily need for lecithin is about 5-6 grams. An egg yolk contains approximately 3.5 grams of lecithin per 100 grams of product (and 100 grams of lamb, beef or peas contain only about 0.8 grams of lecithin).
45. How many eggs can you eat per day or per week?
One egg, and it is in the egg yolk, contains approximately 215 mg of cholesterol, and the daily norm of cholesterol is about 300 mg. Therefore, people with normal cholesterol levels can safely consume 1 egg per day. With elevated cholesterol levels or certain diseases (atherosclerosis, cholecystitis, liver disease), you should limit the consumption of eggs to 3 pieces per week. When using butter, sour cream, fatty meat, sausages or nuts, it is also worth reducing the number of eggs eaten to 2-3 pieces per week. With an increased level of cholesterol, you can eat proteins, and refuse the yolks, because they contain cholesterol. Interestingly, it is in Japan, which is considered one of the world leaders in the consumption of chicken eggs per capita, that there is a record number of centenarians and there is the lowest level of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the previously popular prejudice about the dangers of eggs due to their cholesterol content has long outlived its usefulness.
This is interesting! Which came first: the chicken or the egg?
Scientists and philosophers believe that the egg was the first, theologians argue with this. Total - 2:1 - in favor of the egg. From the point of view of scientists, the egg appeared long before the appearance of the chicken in the process of evolution, in addition, everyone knows the fact that the origin of life occurs in the egg.
From Aristotle to Darwin
The first problem of "egg or chicken" (or, more precisely, "egg or bird") was raised by Aristotle. He believed that the bird and the egg appeared at the same time. More than 2 thousand years ago, Aristotle argued as follows: the egg could not be the first to give rise to birds, because it itself must be demolished by it, and there can be no first bird, since it itself appeared from the egg, then they appeared at the same time (??? ).
Later, this problem was widely discussed by the philosophers of ancient Greece, including Plutarch, who formulated the question in the usual way for us - “an egg or a chicken”. The medieval scholastics, who took the teachings of Aristotle as the basis of their philosophy, also actively dealt with this problem - and they came to much more complex conclusions than a simple reading of the Bible, from which the primacy of the chicken seems to follow:
“And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, Let the water bring forth reptiles, living creatures; and let the birds fly over the earth, in the firmament of heaven. And God created great fish, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that [it] was good. And God blessed them, saying: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth” (Genesis 1:19-22).
From the point of view of Darwin's theory, the egg was the first. Since the egg is the largest cell, and the world, according to Darwin, arose from the smallest "self-animated" cells.
Philosophical view of the egg
In turn, in order to get an answer, modern philosophers have tried to find a logical error in the question. The first idea is that the concepts of "egg" and "chicken" themselves have a fuzzy scope, and in nature there may be objects about which it is impossible to clearly say whether they are included or not included in the concepts of "egg" or "chicken".
There are different types of eggs, from eggs to ova, that some people may classify as an "egg" and others may not.
In the process of evolution, there were many intermediate forms of birds, about which it is impossible to say unequivocally whether it is a chicken or not. Before the chicken, there was an intermediate form of a bird that also laid eggs, and at some point this bird was called a chicken, and its eggs were called chicken.
Another approach suggests that there is a strict solution to the paradox - a clear line between "chicken" and "non-chicken". In this case, the solution to the paradox depends on the exact definition of what is a "hen's egg". If this is “an egg that a chicken laid”, then the chicken was first, and if it is “an egg from which a chicken will hatch”, then the egg was the first.
A beautiful solution was proposed by the British philosopher Spencer in the 19th century: “A chicken is just a way in which one egg produces another egg,” thus eliminating one of the objects of the riddle.
The modern view of biologists
Modern biologists believe that the egg as an object arose before the chicken, since egg-laying appeared much earlier than the chicken and the bird in general (for example, in dinosaurs, Archeopteryx). That is, tens of millions of years ago, long before the appearance of birds, eggs already existed.
If we talk specifically about a chicken egg, then our modern knowledge of genetics comes to the rescue. It is known that in the course of life the genetic material remains unchanged, i.e. an adult bird - the ancestor of a chicken could not mutate into a chicken after hatching from an egg.
This means that the mutation that led to the emergence of a new biological species could only occur at the stage of the embryo - inside the egg. Thus, a chicken could have hatched from an egg that was laid by an ancestor bird that was not related to the chicken species. Therefore, in an evolutionary sense, the egg was the first.
However, nature always turns out to be more amazing than our modern ideas about it. In 2012, the BBC reported on a curious case in Sri Lanka where a hen gave birth to a chick without laying an egg. The chick was born healthy and fully developed, but the hen died from internal injuries sustained during childbirth. According to veterinarians, the fertilized egg developed into a full-fledged chicken in 21 days.
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Masterfully painted or modest, painted with onion peel, as my grandmother once did, pasted over with pictures from the supermarket or with uneven hand-drawn letters “XB” - surprisingly, the Easter egg is always at the head of the Bright Holiday. How did it get into the center of attention of Christians and not only? And how does he even in the 21st century manage to push us, who cannot take a step without Wi-Fi, to observe ancient traditions - to paint, exchange, clink glasses? And in the end, why does a whole world revolve around an ordinary egg, full of meanings, legends, signs? Do you want to know the whole truth about the Easter egg? Then join!
In the beginning there was an egg
There are two parables most common among Christians that explain how the egg is connected with Easter (and which rarely happens in such cases, these legends do not even contradict each other). According to the first, the entrance to the tomb, where the body of Jesus Christ rested, was closed by a huge stone, shaped like an egg. As the Gospel of Peter tells, on the third day after the burial of Jesus, the guards guarding the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher saw angels descend from heaven, at the appearance of which the stone rolled away by itself. A small fragment of that sacred stone has survived to this day - it is kept in the chapel of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. So the egg became a symbol of the coffin, in whose bowels life was born, which is destined to be born in spite of any obstacles. They say that in Poland there is even such a proverb: "Christ rose alive from the tomb just like a chicken hatched from an egg."
Another parable introduces us to a miracle that happened to an ordinary egg in front of the emperor Tiberius, during whose reign Jesus Christ was crucified. After the ascension of Christ into heaven, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene went to preach in Rome. At that time, it was unthinkable to pay a visit to the ruler empty-handed: and if the rich offered gold, jewelry, food, then the poor people presented the emperor with the simplest, but valuable things for them, for example, poultry eggs. Mary Magdalene brought not only an egg, but also an amazing message: “Christ is Risen!”, she said, handing Tiberius a chicken egg and talking about the events that took place in Judea. The emperor, whom historians described as a shrewd but headstrong man, doubted and said that no one can rise from the dead, just as this very white egg cannot turn red. And as soon as he said this, the egg changed its color. According to one version, the amazed emperor even answered: “Truly Risen!”, thus giving rise to the tradition of Easter conversion of Christians to each other (of course, by chance, because Tiberius believed in Jupiter, Neptune and the whole host of Roman gods).
In general, the legend about the meeting of Mary Magdalene with Tiberius, according to researchers, belongs to the late Middle Ages and, of course, is not supported by any evidence. Well, let it be, but it has become, perhaps, the most harmonious and poetic explanation for the presence of an egg on the Easter table. However, in one of the manuscripts of the 10th century, found in the library of the Greek Orthodox monastery of St. Anastasia the Destroyer, the church charter was described: after prayers for Easter, the monks should read a prayer for the blessing of eggs, cheese, and the abbot should have handed eggs to the monks with the words “Christ is Risen !
But not only Christians endowed the egg with additional meanings. Man has always seen something more in him. In the folklore and beliefs of many peoples, no, no, let an egg flash by - as a symbol of life, hope, purity and the beginning of beginnings. For example, Brahma, the creator god in Hinduism, was born from a golden egg, from the remains of which the Universe then sprouted. In the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, there is also a place for the Shining Egg: it was laid down by a heavenly goose, and it was from it that the sun god Ra later appeared. And in ancient China, it was believed that chaos once reigned everywhere, and it was imprisoned in a huge egg. Inside the egg, the first ancestor Pan-gu was born by itself, who with his ax right inside the egg broke the shell and separated Yin (earth) from Yang (sky). In Buddhism, the eggshell also figured and was identified with the "shell of ignorance" - to get rid of it meant to be born a second time, to achieve enlightenment.
So there is no doubt, the egg - excuse the pun - is an important bird! And at Easter, this importance is usually emphasized ...
Decorate and paint!
Easter is a holiday to which believers have always treated with special reverence and love, scrupulously observing customs even in regard to decorating the main Easter symbol. Obviously, the true color of the Easter egg is red. And the point here is not only in the parable of the miraculous transformation of an egg in front of the speechless emperor Tiberius. Red symbolizes the sacrificial blood of the Savior, it is the color of fertility, joy, love, the triumph of life.
In a small way, people have learned to work miracles with their own hands and figured out how to color eggs both red and, in general, all kinds of colors. In the Orthodox tradition, depending on the nature of the painting, eggs were even divided into three types: pysanky, krashenka and krapanki.
Krashenka This is a one color Easter egg. The Orthodox prepared thirteen krashenkas for the feast, according to the number of the apostles with Jesus Christ at the head. The color of krashenka became a separate message, and work on the palette at first required ingenuity: red (a decoction of onion peel or beets) - joy, yellow (birch leaves, calendula, apple tree bark) - sunlight, green (nettle, shoots of young rye) - spring and hope, brown (oak bark, alder) - fertility, and blue-black (mallow petals) marked sorrow - these dyes, contrary to the meaning of Easter as the triumph of life over death, were made to be left on the graves of loved ones on commemoration days.
Pysanka gave more room for imagination, but also required special skill and artistic skills. This is an Easter egg with a ceremonial ornament or plot drawing. It is hard to imagine that our ancestors spent time on actually jewelry work on an egg, when household chores on Maundy Thursday (and it is customary to paint eggs on this day) and so there was a whole cartload. And yet, the creation of Easter eggs has become a separate type of decorative folk art, a sacred ritual, the roots of which go back to pagan times.
The fact is that Easter eggs are, in fact, a talisman in which a person invested a lot of personal things, and that is why it was customary to make them for themselves and loved ones, and not for sale ... Easter eggs were created for family, children, for health and fertility , military and economic. Women applied wax to the egg, cut designs on the hardened mass, dyed the egg, then cut it again and dyed it again. And in the end, the wax was stacked, leaving only the resulting bright pattern. Those who were richer used paper, beads, fabric, threads, fresh flowers in needlework. Easter eggs were not offered for the meal - simpler eggs were used. The pysanka consecrated in the church was carefully kept: the egg was placed in a wicker basket and hung in the center of the hut. She not only guarded the house, they went around the field with Easter eggs to attract crops, threw them into the fire to avoid fires, rolled over a sick person for healing, and even looked for treasures with her help.
By the way, in the Ukrainian city of Kolomyia is located Pysanka Museum, the exposition of which has over 6000 eggs. In addition to Ukrainian and Russian, French, Swedish, Canadian, Czech Easter eggs, there are old specimens from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Iran and other parts of the world where the egg has a special honor.
Krapanka- This is another type of egg painting, which also requires considerable skill. Its name comes from the Old Slavonic “drop”: the Easter egg is painted with large colored dots, small spots, splashes or short strokes. At a time when the set of art supplies was limited, it was possible to make a dowel using the same wax. First, the egg was dyed in one color, wax was dripped on it, then in some places the wax was peeled off, and the egg was repainted - and so on several times. The result was a very joyful and colorful egg, as if everything was in the glare of light.
Today, of course, painting an Easter egg has become a whole trend in needlework and, in a sense, even a gambling affair. On the Internet, you can find a lot of incredible ways to create works of home art: not only banal food dyes and thermal films are used, but also acrylic, decoupage tools, stencils, cereals, vegetable oil to simulate stains, floss, lace ... But what really there, eggs are painted in the style of pop art and in the spirit of cubism, portraits of comic and cartoon characters, logos of famous brands and even QR codes appear on them. It may seem at times that the desire to achieve originality has taken precedence over the original meaning of the Easter egg, but the main thing is that it be made with love!
Egg around the head
“A testicle is dear to Christ's day” - this is how a Russian folk proverb says, reminding that what is done on time is especially valuable. Indeed, the Easter egg on Bright Sunday is used in the mass of Christian and folk rituals. Without it, we can say, nowhere!
First meal. A carefully decorated and consecrated egg is an obligatory part of the first Easter meal, when, having come from the morning service, the faithful sat down to break their fast after Great Lent. Tasting an egg on Easter morning is a guarantee of a joyful holiday, a happy life and health.
Giving and christening. Today we continue the tradition started by Mary Magdalene. Elegant eggs become a generous Easter gift, and they are exchanged as a sign of love, hospitality and the unity of believers. "Christ is Risen!" - they say, handing an egg to a loved one in order to hear in response: "Truly Risen!". After that, you need to be christened - that is, kiss three times on the cheeks. By the way, if everything is done according to the rules, then the younger family member should be the first to say the Easter greeting.
Cueballs. It is not known where the tradition of beating eggs on Easter came from. That's how it was done. And today, don't you start the Easter day with a symbolic collision of two eggs - whose is stronger? But the interpretations of this custom are very interesting. The first version is that good and evil are fighting among themselves: the egg, which, fortunately, did not break, resisted the obstacle, is the winner - it was kept in the house as a talisman. The other version is also quite true. In more conservative times, it was not customary to kiss in public, therefore, congratulating each other on Easter, people kissed each other by beating eggs. There is another explanation: the most successful is the one whose egg did break, because when the shell opens, Christ himself appears from the egg, as from a coffin. Be that as it may, cue balls are a wonderful holiday tradition that unobtrusively introduces children to the Easter story, and adults do not get bored!
Egg rolling. In the course of the Orthodox there was another Easter fun - rolling eggs down a small hill. The meaning of the game came down to a well-aimed hit in the eggs of opponents laid out under the hill - if the rolling egg hit one of those lying on the ground, the player took this egg for himself. Or the victory went to the one whose egg swept further, passing the obstacles. Sometimes, at the foot of the hill, painted eggs and all sorts of uncomplicated prizes were laid out. One of the items that knocked out the rolled testicle was the win. Experienced players were able to throw the egg especially cleverly, for example, with twisting or so that at the moment of collision it turned to the target with a sharp end and would certainly break it. Easter egg rolling is a common Christian tradition. To this day, the game is a fun part of the holiday in Germany. And they even have fun rolling eggs on Easter even on the lawn in front of the White House in Washington (this is called the White House Easter Egg Roll) - but here the children roll eggs, hmm, with ladles. All in all, a must try!
Easter Bunny Hunt
Despite the fact that the egg as an Easter attribute is common among Christians everywhere, among Catholics the main symbol of Easter is the rabbit. It is believed that its appearance in the history of the Bright Resurrection dates back to ancient Germanic pagan traditions: the constant companion of the fertility goddess Eostra, who was honored on the day of the vernal equinox, was a rabbit, famous for its fertility. The legend was documented in Germany in the 16th century - then the first story was published about a rabbit that laid eggs on Easter Eve (that's unseen!) And hid them in the garden like a treasure. According to German belief, which later spread throughout Europe and then migrated to North America, the Easter Bunny leaves a nest with colorful eggs as a gift for good children for the holiday, which must be found by all means! Sometimes the kids even “make” this hidden nest and wait for the rabbit to pay a visit (much like waiting for Santa under the tree on Christmas Eve). Images of these wonderful, generous hares holding eggs in their paws, as well as their figurines made of wood, porcelain, wax, dough and - the most desirable! - from chocolate eventually became a symbol of Catholic Easter. "Hunting" for the Easter bunny and searching for the gifts he has in store has turned into family entertainment, which both adults and children are waiting for on Easter. Toy rabbits today are the heroes of entire plots and compositions: they go to school, play, participate in the Easter feast, in general, they set a good example with their whole appearance!
The custom to decorate the Easter tree by analogy with the Christmas tree also came from Europe - this is a symbol of the Tree of Life, the riot of spring. Trees in the courtyards or homemade bouquets of twigs are decorated with ribbons, bows, Easter eggs. The most famous and most beautiful Easter tree grows in the garden of the German Volker Kraft, in the city of Saalfeld: for 50 years now he has been decorating the apple tree near his house with colored eggs - and there are already more than ten thousand of them! Volker Kraft saw the first Easter tree (Osterbaum in German) as a child, in 1945, and got excited about the idea of “growing” his own. In 1965, together with his wife Krista, he began to make his dream come true - first, 18 plastic eggs appeared on the apple tree, then, having decided that plastic decorations were too expensive, the couple took up needlework. They began to paint the eggs by hand, and so that they were not too heavy for the tree, they blow out the contents of the egg, leaving only an elegant shell. For half a century, the collection, in the creation of which the whole family and friends took part, has grown so much that there is simply nowhere to store eggs. In 2015, the branches of the Easter tree, which is breathtaking even from photographs, decorated ten thousand eggs, among which, according to local residents, no two are alike. It's not like decorating a Christmas tree - the Kraft family starts decorating a tree a few weeks before Easter! Hundreds of tourists come to admire it and, inspired by the wonderful Easter tradition, spread it all over the world.
egg masscult
Painting, cinema, literature, design, even computer games - Easter eggs have penetrated everywhere. And we decided to hunt them...
In the famous novel by the Russian writer Ivan Shmelev "The Summer of the Lord", the work on which lasted as many as 14 years, several chapters are devoted to Easter. All of them are imbued with some kind of heart-wrenching warmth, joy and faith that does not require explanation - when you read, you want to return to childhood and wait for Bright Sunday under the aromas of Easter cakes:
“Great Saturday evening. The house is quiet, everyone lay down before matins. I sneak into the hall to see what's outside. There are few people, they bring Easter and Easter cakes in cardboard boxes. In the hall, the wallpaper is pink - from the sun, it is setting. In the rooms there are crimson lamps, Easter: were they blue at Christmas? .. They laid an Easter carpet in the living room, with crimson bouquets. They removed the gray covers from the burgundy armchairs. On the images of wreaths of roses. There are new red "paths" in the hall and in the corridors. In the dining room on the windows - colored eggs in baskets, crimson: tomorrow the father will be christened with the people. In the front - green quarters with wine: to bring. On feather pillows, in the dining room on the sofa - so as not to fail! - there are huge Easter cakes, covered with pink muslin, - they are cooling down. They smell of sweet, fragrant warmth.”
“I look at the testicles given to me. Here is crystal gold, through it - everything is magical. Here - with a stretching fat worm; it has a black head, beady black eyes, and a scarlet cloth tongue. With soldiers, with ducks, carved bone ... And now, porcelain - father. There is a wonderful panorama in it ... Behind the pink and blue flowers of immortelle and moss, behind a glass in a gold rim, one can see in the depths a picture: a snow-white Christ with a banner has risen from the Tomb. The nanny told me that if you look behind the glass, for a long, long time, you will see a living angel. Tired of strict days, of bright lights and ringing, I peer through the glass. It dies in my eyes, - and it seems to me, in flowers, - alive, inexplicably joyful, holy ... - God? .. Not to put into words. I press my testicle to my chest, and the lulling chime shakes me in my sleep.
But Alexander Kuprin's story "Easter Eggs" (1911) turned out to be very ironic - but Easter was such a success for his main character ...
“Tomorrow we have a Bright Sunday, and I can see from all these bags of yours, bundles and cardboard boxes that you are bringing holiday gifts home: different testicles with snakes, compound testicles with rings, lambs, flowers. Well, here I will tell you how, through one Easter egg, I lost my inheritance, relatives and support, and all this in my most adolescent years. The hero of the story gave his rich, callous and quick-tempered uncle an unusual egg from a flower shop. If you write any letters on that egg with water and sprinkle with watercress seeds, then in a week good Easter words grew on its surface in green. But by chance or by mistake of the seller, the uncle, who at the age of 70 was very proud of his black hair, got an egg with an inscription from sprouted watercress: "I was bald." So the hero was left without an inheritance.
Of course, there are Easter eggs in religious painting. In Orthodox iconography, Mary Magdalene, revered as a saint Equal to the Apostles, is rarely depicted in some plots, mainly as a myrrh-bearing woman with a vessel of incense. But sometimes you can see her with a red Easter egg in her hands. The Easter story already familiar to us was captured by the Russian painter Vasily Vereshchagin in the painting “Visit of Mary Magdalene to the Emperor Tiberius” - it adorns the wall of the Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem.
Faberge eggs in general, they have become a common noun, a symbol of an expensive, exquisite gift. Meanwhile, Carl Faberge and the jewelers of his company created the first egg in 1885 by order of Emperor Alexander III, precisely as an Easter surprise for his wife Maria Feodorovna. It was called "Chicken" and was covered on the outside with white, under the shell, enamel, and inside, in the "yolk" of matte gold, there was a chicken made of colored gold. But the surprise did not end there - inside the hen there was a miniature copy of the imperial crown made of gold with diamonds and a chain with a ruby pendant. This is pysanka, so pysanka! However, Carl Faberge borrowed the whole idea: at the beginning of the 18th century, European masters had already made a similar egg, several copies of which are stored today in the museum collections of Dresden, Vienna and Copenhagen. And yet, Faberge impressed the Empress with his creation so much that he was immediately recognized as a court jeweler and received an order to create an egg every year. By the way, the work was so painstaking and delicate that one egg really took almost a whole year. This tradition continued until the reign of Nicholas II. From 1885 to 1917, 71 eggs of indescribable beauty were created, of which 52 are considered imperial.
In modern mass culture, there is a metaphorical concept of "Easter eggs" - a kind of riddle, an author's hint hidden inside a work, whether it be a series, a book, a comic book, a game, or even computer software!
This is where the symbolism of the egg is revealed to the fullest! It is believed that the first "Easter egg" ("Easter egg", Easter Egg) was deliberately used in 1979 by Warren Robinett, the programmer of the computer game "Adventure". Then the authors of the game were not officially indicated anywhere, and the conceited Robinnet decided to hide the mention of himself inside the game: in order to get into the room with the name of the developer, one had to find an invisible point in one of the parts of the labyrinth and move it to the other end of the level. Gradually, postmodern "secrets" with the light hand of directors, programmers, animators began to appear in a variety of genres. For fanatical and attentive viewers, readers, gamers, it has become a special adventure and pleasure to look for author's hints. For example, in the film "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), on the walls of an ancient temple, you can see hieroglyphs in the form of robots from Star Wars R2D2 and C-3PO! And on the cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is a reference to The Rolling Stones - a Shirley Temple doll with the words "Welcome the Rolling Stones" written on it. By the way, a few months later, The Rolling Stones responded to their colleagues and released an album on the cover of which the faces of the Beatles look out from the flower thickets. Easter eggs lurk in Fight Club, A Clockwork Orange, The Matrix, Lost, Breaking Bad, The Simpsons, Aladdin, most computer games, uTorrent, and more. other works. Search for yourself, because if you were good boys and girls, the Easter Bunny is sure to have surprises for you!
This great egg investigation led us to believe that the Easter egg has the miraculous power to unite nations and faiths, children and adults, chocolate lovers and adventurers, ancient traditions and the most modern. The custom of christening, “clinking glasses” with eggs at Easter, of course, is also common in Cyprus. We wish you a happy Easter and "Καλά τσουγκρίσματα! (kaLA tsugrizmata), which means "good clinking"!
Text: Ekaterina Moshkina
Faberge is today, perhaps, one of the most famous jewelry brands. And all thanks to the precious eggs that were produced by this jewelry house for the Russian imperial family. Today, these works of art are a huge rarity, surrounded by secrets, and their value reaches tens of millions of dollars. In our review, little-known facts about the most famous eggs in the world.
1. Imperial Easter traditions
The tradition of painting Easter eggs has existed in Russia since ancient times. The imperial family followed suit. But in 1885, Tsar Alexander III, without suspecting it, somewhat transformed this tradition. Deciding to surprise his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, he gave her a special gift - an egg with a secret. It was a precious white-enamelled egg with a golden band running across it. It opened, and inside was a golden "yolk". In it, in turn, sat a golden hen, inside of which there was a ruby crown and pendant. The Empress was delighted with such a gift, and Alexander III presented his wife with a new precious egg every Easter. This tradition was continued by the son of Alexander III, Nicholas II, who on Easter holidays gave precious eggs to his mother and wife.
2. The main rule is a surprise inside
The author of the Easter eggs ordered by Russian emperors was Peter Carl Faberge, a jeweler. He was given complete freedom of creativity, he could create precious eggs on any subject. But there was still one rule: each egg should be with a surprise. Therefore, each Faberge egg contained a tiny miracle: a tiny diamond replica of the royal crown, a miniature ruby pendant, a mechanical swan, an elephant, a gold miniature of the palace, 11 tiny portraits on an easel, a ship model, an exact working copy of the royal carriage, and much more.
4. Peter Carl Faberge - Russian jeweler with European roots
The famous jeweler was born in Russia in St. Petersburg on May 30, 1846. Father - Gustav Faberge was from Pärnu (Estonia) and came from a German family, his mother - Charlotte Jungstedt, was the daughter of a Danish artist. In 1841, Faberge Sr. received the title of "Jewelry Master" and in 1842 founded a jewelry company in St. Petersburg on Bolshaya Morskaya Street at No. 12. The young man's talent was so bright and outstanding that at the age of 24 in 1870 he was able to take over his father's firm.
In 1882, the All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition was held in Moscow. It was there that Emperor Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna noticed the works of Peter Carl Faberge. So Faberge Jr. received the patronage of the royal family and the title of "jeweler of His Imperial Majesty and jeweler of the Imperial Hermitage."
Faberge products were also famous in Europe. Numerous royal and princely relatives of the Russian imperial family in Great Britain, Denmark, Greece, Bulgaria received jewelry as a gift, they valued it very much and passed it on by inheritance.
The revolution of 1917 forced Faberge to close the firm. He emigrated to Switzerland, where he died in 1920.
5. The Bolsheviks, unwittingly, saved the Faberge eggs
After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks, trying to replenish the treasury of the "world's first communist state," sold Russian artistic treasures. They plundered churches, sold paintings by old masters from the Hermitage Museum and took up crowns, tiaras, necklaces and Faberge eggs that belonged to the Emperor's family.
In 1925, a catalog of valuables from the imperial court (crowns, wedding crowns, a scepter, orb, tiaras, necklaces and other valuables, including the famous Faberge eggs) was sent to all foreign representatives in the USSR. Part of the Diamond Fund was sold to the English antiquary Norman Weiss. In 1928, seven "low-value" Faberge eggs and 45 other items were seized from the Diamond Fund.
However, it was thanks to this that the Faberge eggs were saved from being melted down. . Thus, one of the most incredible creations of Faberge, the Peacock Egg, was preserved. Inside the masterpiece of crystal and gold was an enamelled peacock. Moreover, this bird was mechanical - when it was removed from the golden branch, the peacock raised its tail like a real bird and could even walk.
6. Missing bag egg
In total, 50 precious eggs were made for the Russian imperial family. The fate of seven of them is unknown today, most likely they are in private collections. The fate of the travel bag egg, created in the Faberge workshop in 1889, is also shrouded in mystery. The last time this egg was allegedly seen in one of the London shops in 1949. According to rumors, it was sold to an unknown person for $1250. Today, the cost of Faberge eggs reaches $ 30 million.
7. One egg was purchased as scrap metal
One of the lost imperial Easter eggs was found in a completely amazing way. An American bought a gold egg studded with precious stones for $14,000 to scrap and wanted to resell it for a better price. But when there were no buyers, he decided to look for an outlandish souvenir on the Internet and was surprised to find that it was the work of Faberge. After examination, it was confirmed that this is one of the long-lost imperial Easter eggs. Instead of a $500 profit, the dealer made about $33 million by selling the egg to a private collector.
8. Queen Elizabeth II owns three Faberge Imperial Eggs
There are three Faberge imperial Easter eggs in the collection of the British Royal Family: "Colonnade", "Basket of Flowers" and "Mosaic". Particular attention is drawn to the "Flower Basket", the flowers in which look fresh and amazingly realistic.
The British Faberge collection is one of the largest in the world. In addition to the legendary eggs, it contains several hundred masterpieces of jewelry: caskets, frames, animal figurines and personal adornments of members of the Imperial Houses of Russia, Great Britain and Denmark. Despite the size of the British collection, this is only a small part of the 200,000 pieces of jewelry produced by the Faberge jewelry house.
9. Eggs of the Kelch family
When the Kelchs divorced, the entrepreneur's ex-wife took her Faberge collection with her to Paris. Six eggs ended up in the United States. Initially, the eggs were mistaken for items from the imperial collection, and only in 1979 it was established that all seven eggs belonged to the Kelch collection.
10. Return of Faberge
After the revolution, the Faberge brand was resold several times. Unfortunately, the big name was used by a toilet cleaner, shampoo and cologne company. The last company to acquire the brand, Pallinghurst Resources, decided in 2007 to restore it to its former glory by relaunching the jewelry business. Two years later, through the efforts of Peter Faberge's granddaughters Sarah and Tatiana, the world saw new Faberge jewelry for the first time since 1917. These products are clearly far from those that were made at the beginning of the 20th century, but, nevertheless, today you can buy jewelry from $ 8,000 - $ 600,000.
Faberge eggs are one of the most expensive jewelry in the world. Truly a royal gift. The first Faberge egg appeared in 1885. It was commissioned by the Russian Emperor Alexander III as an Easter gift for his wife Maria Feodorovna. And Carl Faberge and the jewelers of his firm took up the creation of this gift.
Carl Faberge was born in Russia, in St. Petersburg. He was born in 1846 in the family of a German from Estonia, Gustav Faberge, and the daughter of a Danish artist, Charlotte Jungstedt. Back in 1842, his father founded a jewelry company in St. Petersburg, Karl also studied jewelry from a young age and at the age of 24 headed his father's company. And in 1882, at the All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition in Moscow, the products of his company attracted the attention of Emperor Alexander III, the Faberge company began to receive orders from the imperial court. Faberge products were also famous in Europe, so in Paris, Carl Faberge was awarded the title of "Master of the Paris Jewelers Guild". After the revolution, Fabergé closed his firm and emigrated to Lausanne, Switzerland, where he died in 1920. His sons in 1923 founded the Faberge & Co. firm in Paris.
Carl Faberge produced a variety, but it was jewelry eggs that brought him fame, known throughout the world as Faberge eggs.
By the way, the first egg he created in 1885 had its own prototype. In the 18th century, jewelry Easter eggs were made with a surprise hen inside, and in the hen itself there was a crown, and in the crown - a ring. This is exactly what was the first egg created by Faberge in 1885. An egg presented to Empress Maria Feodorovna, who, like Carl Faberge himself, had Danish roots. After all, one of three similar eggs preserved from the 18th century is exactly the same and is stored in the Danish castle of Rosenborg (Copenhagen).
Later, Faberge made a number of Easter eggs. In total, there are 71 single Faberge eggs in the world. And 54 of them were imperial. Alexander III became the founder of the tradition, on Easter he gave his wife Maria Feodorovna Faberge eggs, after his death this tradition was continued by his son, Nicholas II. He gave Faberge Easter eggs to both his wife and his mother, Maria Feodorovna.
There are also about 15 eggs made by Faberge for private individuals. And if the imperial eggs were new each time, each time with a new surprise inside, and the company began to manufacture them a year before the next Easter, then Faberge eggs for individuals often copy the plots of the imperial ones. So 7 eggs belonging to the Kelch family are known. Entrepreneur, gold miner, Alexander Kelkh, like the emperor, gave his wife Faberge eggs for Easter. The first egg of Kelch, which is called "Kelch's Hen", copies the plot of the first imperial "Chicken" egg. But soon the Kelchs separated, and their financial situation worsened. They were no longer interested in Faberge eggs. Also, non-imperial Faberge eggs were made to order for Felix Yusupov (a representative of a fairly wealthy noble family, in the future a murderer so valued by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna Rasputin), nephew of Alfred Nobel, the Rothschilds, the Duchess of Marlborough.
Imperial Faberge eggs had quite a variety of subjects: they could be clock eggs or eggs with various figures inside, the eggs themselves could also contain various miniatures as a surprise, for example, there was an “Egg with rotating miniatures”, inside which there were 12 miniatures with images of places memorable for the emperor. The most expensive of the Faberge eggs paid for by the Romanovs is the Winter egg. It was made of crystal and opals. The surprise of this egg was a basket of anemones.
Easter eggs by Carl Faberge after the October Revolution.
During the years of the revolution, some of the Faberge eggs were lost, most of them were transported to the Kremlin, where they were kept until 1930. In 1930, the sale of many items that undoubtedly constituted the Russian cultural heritage began, due to the lack of financial resources from the Soviet authorities. Many Fabergé eggs were also sold. Many of them were bought by Armand Hammer and Emmanuel Snowman Wartsky. Forbes was also an ardent collector of Faberge eggs. His collection consisted of 11 imperial and 4 private Faberge eggs. In 2004, this collection was put up for auction, before which it was completely bought out by the Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. So some of the Faberge eggs returned to their homeland.
Today in Russia, Faberge eggs can be seen in the Armory (10 pieces), the Vekselberg collection, the Russian National Museum and the Mineralogical Museum. A. E. Fersman RAS.
Many of the Faberge eggs are in various collections in the United States. Several pieces of these miniature treasures are present in the collections of the English Queen Elizabeth II, Albert.
Each of the Faberge eggs has its own destiny, its own story. Only one of the Faberge eggs "Georgievsky" was able to leave revolutionary Russia, along with its rightful owner, Empress Maria Feodorovna, mother of the last Russian emperor Nicholas II.
The "George" egg was created in 1915, after Nicholas II received the "Order of St. George" award. Previously, this award was awarded to his son Alexei, for his visits to the front line. Nicholas II ordered this egg especially for his mother. His portrait was a surprise. Maria Feodorovna warmly thanked her son for the gift and wrote:
“I kiss you three times and thank you with all my heart for your sweet card and a lovely egg with miniatures, the good Faberge brought it himself. Amazingly beautiful. It's very sad not to be together. From the bottom of my heart I wish you, my dear dear Nicky, all the best and all the best and success in everything. Your dearly loving old Mother."
Today, there is a whole website of the Vekselberg collection (https://www.treasuresofimperialrussia.com/r_explore.html), where you can learn in detail the history of each of the Faberge eggs in this collection.
It cannot be argued that it was Carl Faberge himself who created all the eggs. After all, as soon as a new order was received, a whole team of the firm's jewelers immediately began to work on it. The names of many of them have been preserved. This is August Holstrom, and Henrik Wigstrom, and Eric Collin. And Mikhail Perkhin, who worked on the creation of Kelch eggs.
But besides genuine Faberge eggs, their numerous fakes are also known, which sometimes in their elegance are in no way inferior to the originals. So in the mid-1990s, the Metropolitan Museum (New York, USA) hosted an entire exhibition dedicated to fake Faberge eggs.
Since 1937, the Faberge brand has not been owned by the descendants of Carl Faberge himself, who sold it to the American Samuel Rubin. In the 20th century, under this brand, a wide variety of goods were produced: from perfumes and clothes to movies. And in 2009, the Faberge jewelry house appeared, which is owned by South African businessman Brian Gilbertson. In 2007, he acquired all rights to the brand. In 2011, Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg tried to buy the Faberge brand, but failed.
Such is the history of the most famous, most luxurious, most fabulous and most expensive Easter eggs.
"Faberge Eggs" is a household name. This symbol of luxury, once sold by the Bolsheviks for next to nothing, today costs fabulous money. Private collectors pay millions for the right to own famous treasures.
Origin
We can say that Carl Faberge is a hereditary jeweler. His father opened his own company in St. Petersburg in 1842. The family came to Russia from Estonia, and the ancestors of the famous jeweler were French Huguenots who fled to Germany from the unfriendly policy of the Sun King (Louis XIV). Faberge's father's workshop did nothing outstanding: brooches and tiaras, generously studded with precious stones, were in constant demand among representatives of the wealthy merchant class, but that was all.
Gustav tried his best to educate and provide for his first child, so Carl Faberge studied at the most prestigious educational institutions in Europe, studied jewelry in Frankfurt, and then returned to Russia and at the age of 24 headed the family business. Some researchers claim that he was extremely gifted in jewelry, others are sure that the outstanding talent of Karl Gustavovich was purely administrative. But the manager, as they would say now, he was from God.
Takeoff
When in 1882 an art and industrial exhibition took place in Moscow, Faberge was lucky: the products of the enterprise attracted the attention of his wife. From that moment on, fruitful cooperation between the jeweler and the monarch's family began. It must be said that the emperor gave away expensive jewelry, not only in kilograms - in tons. It was required to present gifts during official visits to the rulers of other countries, and skillfully made sets, caskets, jewelry and various trinkets with the Faberge brand were suitable here.
Soon the company received international recognition, having won the exhibition in Nuremberg (1885). The judges chose items that replicate the gold jewelry of the Scythians. In the same year, the first Faberge egg was made for the Romanovs.
Emperor's family
The Empress favored the jeweler since 1884: she was presented with a souvenir depicting a golden basket with pearl lilies of the valley. Maria Fedorovna found the thing charming, and we can say that thanks to this, Carl Faberge opened a new direction in the activity of the enterprise. Since then, a variety of fantasies, embodied in stone, gold or bone, have become his signature feature.
It must be said that the famous jeweler most of all appreciated the artistic side of the issue, and not all of his products were precious. Various useful little things were made at his enterprises, such as handles for umbrellas, bells or stone seals. According to some sources, the company even made Faberge silver sets, and they were really famous throughout Russia (and not only).
artistic side
The jeweler introduced the fashion to use not only precious stones and metals, but also simpler materials: crystal, bone, malachite, jasper, etc. At first, the company's staff did not have enough qualified personnel to implement all the ideas that Carl Faberge was filled with. The works had to be ordered from the Ural masters. But gradually many talented jewelers, engravers and artists became full-time employees of the enterprise. Among them were masters of the highest class, Faberge allowed them to put their own brand on their works.
The working day of the employees was just a slave: they had to work from seven in the morning to eleven in the evening, and on Sundays - until one in the afternoon. An amazing thing, but at the same time, Carl Faberge enjoyed the location of his subordinates: they did not leave him, did not organize competing firms, although many had such an opportunity. It must be said that the famous jeweler paid a generous salary, he did not leave old and sick workers to the mercy of fate, he did not skimp on praise.
The company had its own recognizable style. Another feature was the variety of enamels, which delight the eye with more than 120 shades, and the technique of the so-called guilloche enamel has never been reproduced.
Imperial collection eggs
Carl Faberge received the widest fame and posthumous fame thanks to which his company made every year for the imperial family. The beginning of the tradition was laid by chance. The Tsar asked the jeweler to make a surprise gift for Her Majesty Maria Feodorovna. Faberge was given freedom of choice - this is how the first egg of the imperial collection appeared.
The first sample was a golden egg covered with white enamel on the outside. Inside it was placed a yolk and a colored chicken. She, in turn, also had a secret: inside the bird was a tiny imperial crown and a ruby egg, which was subsequently lost.
The idea was not original: such souvenirs are still kept among the exhibits of several European museums (perhaps, Carl Faberge drew inspiration there).
The Empress was delighted with the gift. From that moment on, Faberge had to present a new masterpiece to the court every year, but with two conditions. Firstly, an egg with a secret could only be made for the royal family. Secondly, it had to be absolutely original.
When Nicholas II came to the throne, the tradition continued, but now Faberge created two souvenirs: for the wife of the monarch and for the dowager empress.
Bypassing the royal ban
Many years later, it became known that the jeweler nevertheless circumvented the prohibition of his august patron: seven eggs, very similar to the originals from the royal treasury, turned out to be the property of the wife of a certain gold miner. What was to blame - the fabulous wealth of Mrs. Kelch or her lovely eyes - is not known for certain. In addition to them, there are at least eight more Faberge eggs made by private orders. The fact that this fact is not documented is an excellent cover for scammers.
The house of Carl Faberge spent almost a year to make each masterpiece. The most talented artists were involved in creating sketches, and the type of the future gift was kept in the strictest confidence.
In the process of making the royal surprise, Faberge did not pursue profit: in different years, Easter eggs cost the emperor different amounts and were made from different, sometimes completely inexpensive materials. So, in 1916, the monarch received a steel egg, for which four cartridges served as a stand.
The owners of the preserved treasures
They talk about 50, 52 and even 56 copies that Faberge made for the imperial family, but some of them were lost. The Bolsheviks, having come to power, not only robbed the imperial treasury, but also sold it for nothing. The location of only 46 of them is now known.
In 2013, a truly royal gift to the residents of St. Petersburg was made by the Russian oligarch Maxim Vekselberg. He bought the world's largest collection of eggs from the Forbes family and opened the Faberge Museum, where 9 out of 15 copies can be seen by everyone. Another 10 masterpieces are among the exhibits, 13 are in museums in the United States of America, 2 in Switzerland and 13 more are scattered in private collections (several belong to
Another Faberge Museum was opened in Baden-Baden, where eggs made in 1917 are displayed: from (intended for the Dowager Empress) and glass-crystal (for Alexandra Feodorovna). The authenticity of the latter raises some doubts, since the same was found in the storerooms of the Mineralogical Museum in Moscow, but the owner of the masterpiece, another Russian billionaire Alexander Ivanov, assures that he is the owner of the original.
Who want to be a millionaire? 10/07/17. Questions and answers.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Who want to be a millionaire?"
Questions and answers:
Yuri Stoyanov and Igor Zolotovitsky
Fireproof Amount: 200,000 rubles.
Questions:
1. What fate befell the teremok in the fairy tale of the same name?
2. What does the chorus of the song in the film by Svetlana Druzhinina call for for the midshipmen?
3. What button can not be found on the remote control of the cabin of a modern elevator?
4. What expression means the same as "to walk"?
5. What is stroganina made of?
6. In what operating mode of the washing machine is the centrifugal force especially important?
7. What phrase from the movie "Aladdin's Magic Lamp" became the name of the album of the group "Auktyon"?
8. Where do the sailors of the sailboat take their places on the command “Whistle everyone up!”?
9. Which of the four portraits in the foyer of the Taganka Theater was added by Lyubimov at the insistence of the district party committee?
10. The flag of which state is not tricolor?
11. Who can rightly be called a hereditary sculptor?
12. What is the name of the model of the human body - a visual aid for future doctors?
13. What was inside the first Easter egg made by Carl Faberge?
Right answers:
1. fell apart
2. do not hang your nose
3. "Let's go!"
4. on foot
5. salmon
7. “All is calm in Baghdad”
8. upper deck
9. Konstantin Stanislavsky
10. Albania
11. Alexandra Rukavishnikova
12. phantom
13. golden hen
The players did not answer the 13th question, but took the winnings in the amount of 400,000 rubles.
_____________________________________
Svetlana Zeynalova and Timur Solovyov
Fireproof Amount: 200,000 rubles.
Questions:
2. Where, according to the catchphrase, does a road paved with good intentions lead?
3. What is used for sifting flour?
4. How to continue Pushkin’s line: “He forced himself to respect ...”?
5. What appeared this year for the first time in the history of the football Confederations Cup?
6. In what city is the unfinished Sagrada Familia located?
7. How does the line of a popular song end: “The leaves were falling, and the blizzard was chalk ...”?
8. What kind of creativity did Arkady Velyurov do in the film "Pokrovsky Gates"?
9, the website says. The addition of what, as it is believed, should the fat woman plant contribute?
10. What did Parisians see in 1983 thanks to Pierre Cardin?
11. Who killed the huge serpent Python?
12. What was the rank of 50 Swiss francs in 2016?
13. What are the adherents of the cargo cult in Melanesia building from natural materials?
Right answers:
1. profile
4. And I couldn’t think of a better one
5. video replays for judges
6. in Barcelona
7. Where have you been?
8. sang verses
10. play "Juno and Avos"
11. Apollo
13. runways
The players could not answer question 13 correctly, but left with a fireproof amount.
From 1885 to 1916, the court jeweler of the royal family, Carl Faberge, presented the king with one masterpiece a year. The total number of Easter eggs created by Faberge for the imperial family is 50.
Easter before the revolution was the favorite holiday of the people of Russia, as it coincided with the arrival of spring, warmth and the awakening of nature. At the end of the 19th century, Easter acquired a universal meaning: a whole branch of applied art was formed, which was engaged in the production of Easter products. Easter eggs were produced in huge quantities, and they were made from a variety of materials - glass, porcelain, wood, various ornamental materials, stones, and flowers.
Ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya once told how for Easter she was presented with a large egg made of live lilies of the valley, and a miniature precious egg was attached to it, which could be worn as a keychain. Once she was presented with a simple straw egg, inside of which were packed wonderful little things from Faberge.
Imperial Faberge Easter Eggs
Jewelry Easter eggs by Carl Faberge were considered the pinnacle of the genre of Easter applied art, they became a kind of symbol of the era.
Tsar Alexander III gave Faberge Easter eggs to his wife Maria Feodorovna, Tsar Nicholas II presented them as gifts to his mother and wife Alexandra Feodorovna. It is assumed that the emperors gave Easter eggs produced by Faberge and other members of the royal family. Currently, only 42 Fabergé masterpieces are known to have survived.
The order, according to which Faberge made eggs for the king, contained the fulfillment of three conditions: egg-shaped; a surprise containing a connection with some event of the royal family and the third condition - that the work should not be repeated.
Thus, these Easter gifts were created decorated with royal monograms or dates, some had miniature portraits of children and the emperor himself or images of royal residences, two of them contained models of ships on which the last Russian emperor sailed.
The egg was solemnly presented to the tsar either by Carl Faberge himself or by his son Eugene and was invariably met with great delight, since at the same time everyone could see the surprise hidden in the gift.
Egg technique
Made eggs were fastened with clasps and loops, so that if necessary, they could be easily disassembled for maintenance or repair. In turn, the use of such equipment and such a design of the product removed many restrictions in the choice of materials. Faberge combined the use of precious materials with materials that were inexpensive but easy to work with.
The "shell" of the egg was enamelled using the famous Faberge technique. If the egg consisted of two drop-down halves, the design was developed so that the finish carefully masked the closing edges of both halves.
Decorative overlays attached to the surface of Easter eggs not only defined the artistic style, but also contributed to the creation of plots that anticipated or emphasized the significance of the surprises inside. The choice of material for the manufacture of decorative finishes depended on their purpose.
In the manufacture of Easter eggs, as a substitute for gold, which has both beauty and strength, gilded bronze and gilded silver were used. Silver was also used to frame miniature surprise portraits, as it had the most lustrous surface of all materials. For purely decorative purposes, Faberge often used colored gold. Selecting the ratio of pure gold and other pure metals, he received a set of shades of different saturation.
Many Easter eggs are decorated with a continuous decorative mesh (cagework), which was made from a wide variety of materials.
Most of the details of the outer decoration, starting with frames and scallops made of gold of different shades and ending with the leaves and stems of flowers on the Lily of the Valley Easter egg, were fastened to the egg shell with the help of miniature fasteners. Fasteners soldered to the reverse side of the parts were inserted into the holes in the shells. Then they were bent along the inner surface of the shell to securely fasten the decorations. While drilling holes in the enameled shell, the egg was immersed in water so that the drill would not overheat and damage the enamel coating.
Surprises in Faberge eggs
Among the "surprises" hidden in many Faberge Easter eggs are miniature models made from precious materials, jewelry, as well as images of people, events and places that mattered to the imperial family. Some surprises are, in fact, individual works of art that can only be seen or, in some cases, set in motion when removed from the egg. Other secrets can be observed through the transparent shell of the egg.
The opening parts of the egg were hinged. The upper part of the egg shell served as a lid. The side parts were flaps that opened up or down depending on the location of the hinges. The part of the outer body of the egg that hides the surprise was usually attached to spring hinges, which are designed in such a way that when a button or pawl is pressed, it opens smoothly.
There was no object, object or plant that the Faberge masters could not reproduce as a surprise for an Easter egg. The model of the Gatchina Palace with adjacent territories, with trees, lampposts, was made of four colors of gold. The layout of the monument to Peter I, made by Falcone on the order of Catherine the Great, was also embodied in a “surprise”. The Faberge Easter Egg “Gatchina Palace” is located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, The Walters Art Museum.
The simple mechanisms used in some Easter eggs have been specially designed for each occasion. A simple gear mechanism raised and lowered three miniature portraits of Czar Nicholas II and his eldest daughters, Olga and Tatyana, in a Lily of the Valley Easter egg. Some eggs have built-in clocks, which are wound by keys, which are usually inserted into a hole in the back of the case, but there are also mechanisms that are wound by a handle. On some Easter eggs, the clock has a horizontal numeral band that rotates against a fixed marker. Inside special eggs are hidden figurines of birds that appear every hour from the top of the egg.
Perhaps the most famous “surprise” is the “Coronation” Easter egg coronation carriage - a miniature model 3 and 1/6 inches (8cm) long, made of gold and enamel - an exact copy of the carriage that was used at the coronation of Nicholas II and his wife 1896 d. “Curtains” are engraved directly on the rock crystal windows. Decorated doorknobs, smaller than a grain of rice, pivot to latch open and close. The body of the carriage rests on straps that are shock-absorbing like real leather, thus the body on the chassis also sways when the crew moves.
The most ingenious secrets are set in motion by winding mechanisms. The Swiss automatic machines of the 18th century served as the basis for the creation of these mechanisms; however, the model of the train in the Great Siberian Way Easter egg is an exact copy of the real locomotive and carriages of the Trans-Siberian Express. The working model train is folded section by section into a velvet-lined case inside the egg. The map of the railway route and the heraldic eagle crowning the entire composition also serve as a hint of the surprise hidden inside the egg.
Made in the best traditions of Faberge, the Easter egg “The Great Siberian Way” and its “surprise” are among those works of art that delight the eye, captivate the imagination and warm the soul.
Nine eggs returned to Russia
On February 4, 2004, Sotheby's auction house announced the sale, under a private agreement, of the Forbes Faberge collection to Russian industrialist Viktor Vekselberg, who returned the eggs to Russia. Before returning to Russia, the collection, including the legendary nine Imperial Easter Eggs, was presented at a public exhibition at Sotheby's in New York. This part of the collection, consisting of nine eggs, was valued at $ 90 million, the final amount of the transaction was not disclosed. Sotheby's auction house carried out this private transaction on behalf of the Forbes family.
Source: Imperial Faberge Easter Eggs
Faberge Easter eggs from the collection of the Moscow Kremlin (Armoury)
One of the oldest and richest museums in the Moscow Kremlin is the Armory, which has a wonderful collection of monuments.
arts and crafts. The collection of the national treasury presents products of Russian jewelry firms of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Among them are the works of the famous Faberge firm: watches, cigarette cases, jewelry, silverware, tea and coffee sets, crystal vase frames, miniature sculptural figurines made of colored ornamental stones.
The pride of the collection is ten imperial Easter eggs with surprises, which are the pinnacle of creative inspiration and honed craftsmanship of a whole galaxy of outstanding jewelers and artists under the guidance of Carl Faberge, who at the beginning of the 20th century was recognized in Paris as a Maitre - one of the best jewelers of our time.
Making elaborately decorated Easter eggs was both a tradition and
old craft in Russia. Long before Faberge began creating jewelry eggs for the imperial family, eggs made from precious metals and stones were made for Russian tsars. But only Carl Faberge and his talented team of artists, jewelers, stone cutters, model sculptors and miniaturists managed to bring the art of making jewelry Easter eggs to an unprecedented and unsurpassed level of elegance, craftsmanship and creative imagination.
In total, from 1885 to 1917, by order of the emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II, about 56 Easter masterpieces were created (the exact number is unknown). Eggs made in the workshop of Mikhail Perkhin, which after his death was headed by Heinrich Wigström, were distinguished by unprecedented luxury, amazing imagination, unsurpassed perfection in detail, and a virtuoso combination of a variety of techniques. Never repeating themselves, they were especially impressive with the surprises contained in them - miniature copies of royal yachts and cruisers with the finest gear, palaces with flowerbeds of “fluffy” gold broken in front of them, monuments strewn with stones, flowers or buds.
Jewelry Easter eggs-souvenirs were a surprise not only for those to whom they were intended as a gift, but often for the emperor who ordered them. "Your Majesty will be pleased" - such an answer was usually given by Faberge to the question about the plot of the next egg.
Egg with a model of the cruiser "Memory of Azov", 1891
On the armored ship "Memory of Azov", built at the Baltic Shipyard in the late 80s of the XIX century, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich (future Emperor Nicholas II) traveled to the East in 1890-1891, during which he was attacked by a Japanese samurai fanatic in the city of Otsu and miraculously survived. The voyage ended in Vladivostok, where the Tsarevich and heir to the throne laid the foundation for the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
The egg was presented by Emperor Alexander III to Empress Maria Feodorovna for Easter 1891.
Egg clock, 1899 
The clock hand resembles Cupid's arrow shot from a bow; it is surrounded by torches, whose flames turn into lush vegetative curls. Together with a bouquet of lilies "sprouting" through a wreath of multi-colored gold roses, they symbolize the virtuous flame of family love. This Easter egg, made in the form of an old French clock in the style of Louis XVI, is a kind of embodied declaration of love by Nicholas II to his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
Egg with a model of a Siberian train, 1900 
This Easter egg is a typical example of a commemorative gift product created by the company in honor of an important historical event - the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, inspired by Emperor Alexander III and continued into the reign of Nicholas II. The road connected the European and Asian parts of Russia, the largest industrial cities with the military port of Vladivostok, which gave impetus to the intensive development of the vast Siberian outskirts.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
Egg clover, 1902 
On the openwork rim of the egg there is an image of the imperial crown, the date "1902" and the monogram of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna framed by clover flowers. The surprise is gone. But the museum staff managed to find a unique archival document, from which it follows that a precious quatrefoil with 4 miniatures was fortified inside. Probably, portraits of the royal daughters (Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia) were depicted on the petals of the surprise, therefore it was a symbol of the happy marriage of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, a symbol of the union of two loving people. According to legend, it was believed that finding a four-leaf clover was a great rarity and good luck. The egg is made in the "modern" style with its floral motifs and exquisite outlines, which is the best suited for the embodiment of an intimate family theme.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1902.
Egg "Moscow Kremlin", 1904-1906 
This Easter egg was made to commemorate the stay of the tsar and the tsarina in the Mother See of the golden-domed capital during the celebration of Easter in 1903, which was received with enthusiasm by the entire Russian society and, in particular, by Muscovites. Carrying out this work of extraordinary design, the masters of the Faberge firm sought to create an image of the ancient Kremlin - both majestic and fabulously elegant. Before us is a peculiar, virtuoso variation on the theme of the Kremlin architecture.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1906.
Egg with a model of the Alexander Palace, 1908 
The Alexander Palace was the country residence of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, who rarely left the walls of the palace and led a rather secluded life, for which they were called "Tsarskoye Selo hermits".
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1908.
Egg with a model of the yacht "Standard", 1909
The yacht "Standart" was the favorite yacht of Nicholas II. On it, the king's family spent a lot of time in the skerries of the Gulf of Finland, until the yacht was wrecked in the coastal skerries.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1909.
Egg with a model of the monument to Alexander III, 1910
The model inside the egg reproduces the monument by the sculptor P. Trubetskoy, erected on the Znamenskaya Square in St. Petersburg near the Nikolaevsky railway station in accordance with the rescript of Nicholas II in memory of his father.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Maria Feodorovna for Easter 1910.
Egg "300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty", 1913 
The egg, made for the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty, is decorated with eighteen miniature portraits of representatives of the reigning dynasty. Flat diamonds are fixed at the top and bottom of the egg, through which the dates "1613" and "1913" are visible. Inside the egg, a rotating blued steel globe is fixed, on which a gold overlay image of the Northern Hemisphere is placed twice: on the one, the territory of Russia within the borders of 1613 is marked with colored gold, on the other - within the borders of 1913. In the decor of the egg, dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the ruling dynasty, which was magnificently celebrated in the empire, elements of state symbols were abundantly used.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1913.
Egg with a miniature on an easel, 1916 
The steel egg was created during the First World War, a difficult time for both Russia and the royal family. Therefore, its appearance is strict, and the decor is official and dry. Since the egg was created in honor of awarding the Tsar with the Order of St. George IV degree, the gold frame of the miniature is decorated with a black and orange ribbon and a white enamel cross of this order.
The egg was presented by Emperor Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna for Easter 1916.
Long before the advent of Christianity, the ancient peoples considered the egg a prototype of the Universe - the world surrounding man was born from it. The attitude to the egg as a symbol of birth was reflected in the beliefs and customs of the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. And the Christian custom of giving each other Easter eggs is rooted in antiquity. Even in pagan times, this item had a great symbolic meaning, it was associated with life itself. An ancient Latin proverb says "All living things [come] from an egg."
In ancient Jerusalem, the egg was a symbol of the rebirth of nature on the vernal equinox. And this philosophical image passed into the Christian tradition, in which the Easter egg symbolizes new life, its rebirth.
According to legend, the first Easter egg
Mary Magdalene presented to the Roman Emperor Tiberius. This happened shortly after the ascension of Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene went to see the emperor. In those days, it was customary, when coming to the emperor, to bring him gifts. The wealthy brought jewelry, and the poor brought what they could. Therefore, Mary Magdalene, who had nothing but faith in Jesus, handed the emperor Tiberius a chicken egg with an exclamation:
"Christ is risen!" The emperor, doubting what was said, noted that no one can rise from the dead, and this is just as hard to believe as that a white egg can turn red. Before Tiberius had time to finish these words, the egg began to change color from white to bright red.
For bearers of faith in Christ, red-painted eggs symbolized the blood shed by Christ and His death. Under the red shell of the egg is a white protein, which serves as a symbol of the Resurrection and the life of Christ.
In Orthodox everyday life, Easter eggs are not only painted, but also intricately painted. Such eggs are reminiscent of the scourging of Christ with the lines of their patterns. Therefore, it is necessary to paint and paint eggs on a special day in Holy Week (week) - on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday
Fun and games with Easter eggs
For centuries, the favorite Easter game in Rus' was "ball rolling" They arranged this game like this: they installed a wooden or cardboard “skating rink” and around it they freed up a flat place on which they laid out painted eggs, toys, plain souvenirs. Playing children approached the “skating rink” in turn and each rolled their own egg. The object that the testicle touched became the winner.
The children loved and "clink glasses" eggs with each other, hitting the opponent's egg with the blunt or sharp end of a dyed hard-boiled egg. The winner was the one whose egg did not break.
Why is the Easter Bunny delivering colored eggs at Easter?
There is a legend about this
At the time when the ark plowed the boundless waters that created the Great Flood, it came across the bottom of the top of the mountain, and a gap appeared in the vessel. And the ark would have gone into the deep waters, if not for the hare, which closed the hole with its short tail. It is in memory of the brave coward that legends were born. Children who are waiting for an Easter bunny or an Easter bunny are sure that it is he who, in a magical meadow in the forests of the German lands, cooks magic herbs in pots on firefly pollen, with which he manually paints each Easter egg. This animal among the Germanic peoples in ancient times was considered one of the symbols of fertility and prosperity. Gradually, the hare, as one of the emblems of Easter, appeared in England.
Interestingly, the custom of giving Easter eggs to each other exists in both Catholic and Orthodox countries. For example, in Italy and Germany, it is customary to bring chocolate eggs wrapped in multi-colored foil in a basket. Moreover, the German and Italian Easter basket, as a rule, also contains a chocolate hare.
Masterfully painted or modest, painted with onion peel, as my grandmother once did, pasted over with pictures from the supermarket or with uneven hand-drawn letters “XB” - surprisingly, the Easter egg is always at the head of the Bright Holiday. How did it get into the center of attention of Christians and not only? And how does he even in the 21st century manage to push us, who cannot take a step without Wi-Fi, to observe ancient traditions - to paint, exchange, clink glasses? And in the end, why does a whole world revolve around an ordinary egg, full of meanings, legends, signs? Do you want to know the whole truth about the Easter egg? Then join!
In the beginning there was an egg
There are two parables most common among Christians that explain how the egg is connected with Easter (and which rarely happens in such cases, these legends do not even contradict each other). According to the first, the entrance to the tomb, where the body of Jesus Christ rested, was closed by a huge stone, shaped like an egg. As the Gospel of Peter tells, on the third day after the burial of Jesus, the guards guarding the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher saw angels descend from heaven, at the appearance of which the stone rolled away by itself. A small fragment of that sacred stone has survived to this day - it is kept in the chapel of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. So the egg became a symbol of the coffin, in whose bowels life was born, which is destined to be born in spite of any obstacles. They say that in Poland there is even such a proverb: "Christ rose alive from the tomb just like a chicken hatched from an egg."
Another parable introduces us to a miracle that happened to an ordinary egg in front of the emperor Tiberius, during whose reign Jesus Christ was crucified. After the ascension of Christ into heaven, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene went to preach in Rome. At that time, it was unthinkable to pay a visit to the ruler empty-handed: and if the rich offered gold, jewelry, food, then the poor people presented the emperor with the simplest, but valuable things for them, for example, poultry eggs. Mary Magdalene brought not only an egg, but also an amazing message: “Christ is Risen!”, she said, handing Tiberius a chicken egg and talking about the events that took place in Judea. The emperor, whom historians described as a shrewd but headstrong man, doubted and said that no one can rise from the dead, just as this very white egg cannot turn red. And as soon as he said this, the egg changed its color. According to one version, the amazed emperor even answered: “Truly Risen!”, thus giving rise to the tradition of Easter conversion of Christians to each other (of course, by chance, because Tiberius believed in Jupiter, Neptune and the whole host of Roman gods).
In general, the legend about the meeting of Mary Magdalene with Tiberius, according to researchers, belongs to the late Middle Ages and, of course, is not supported by any evidence. Well, let it be, but it has become, perhaps, the most harmonious and poetic explanation for the presence of an egg on the Easter table. However, in one of the manuscripts of the 10th century, found in the library of the Greek Orthodox monastery of St. Anastasia the Destroyer, the church charter was described: after prayers for Easter, the monks should read a prayer for the blessing of eggs, cheese, and the abbot should have handed eggs to the monks with the words “Christ is Risen !
But not only Christians endowed the egg with additional meanings. Man has always seen something more in him. In the folklore and beliefs of many peoples, no, no, let an egg flash by - as a symbol of life, hope, purity and the beginning of beginnings. For example, Brahma, the creator god in Hinduism, was born from a golden egg, from the remains of which the Universe then sprouted. In the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, there is also a place for the Shining Egg: it was laid down by a heavenly goose, and it was from it that the sun god Ra later appeared. And in ancient China, it was believed that chaos once reigned everywhere, and it was imprisoned in a huge egg. Inside the egg, the first ancestor Pan-gu was born by itself, who with his ax right inside the egg broke the shell and separated Yin (earth) from Yang (sky). In Buddhism, the eggshell also figured and was identified with the "shell of ignorance" - to get rid of it meant to be born a second time, to achieve enlightenment.
So there is no doubt, the egg - excuse the pun - is an important bird! And at Easter, this importance is usually emphasized ...
Decorate and paint!
Easter is a holiday to which believers have always treated with special reverence and love, scrupulously observing customs even in regard to decorating the main Easter symbol. Obviously, the true color of the Easter egg is red. And the point here is not only in the parable of the miraculous transformation of an egg in front of the speechless emperor Tiberius. Red symbolizes the sacrificial blood of the Savior, it is the color of fertility, joy, love, the triumph of life.
In a small way, people have learned to work miracles with their own hands and figured out how to color eggs both red and, in general, all kinds of colors. In the Orthodox tradition, depending on the nature of the painting, eggs were even divided into three types: pysanky, krashenka and krapanki.
Krashenka This is a one color Easter egg. The Orthodox prepared thirteen krashenkas for the feast, according to the number of the apostles with Jesus Christ at the head. The color of krashenka became a separate message, and work on the palette at first required ingenuity: red (a decoction of onion peel or beets) - joy, yellow (birch leaves, calendula, apple tree bark) - sunlight, green (nettle, shoots of young rye) - spring and hope, brown (oak bark, alder) - fertility, and blue-black (mallow petals) marked sorrow - these dyes, contrary to the meaning of Easter as the triumph of life over death, were made to be left on the graves of loved ones on commemoration days.
Pysanka gave more room for imagination, but also required special skill and artistic skills. This is an Easter egg with a ceremonial ornament or plot drawing. It is hard to imagine that our ancestors spent time on actually jewelry work on an egg, when household chores on Maundy Thursday (and it is customary to paint eggs on this day) and so there was a whole cartload. And yet, the creation of Easter eggs has become a separate type of decorative folk art, a sacred ritual, the roots of which go back to pagan times.
The fact is that Easter eggs are, in fact, a talisman in which a person invested a lot of personal things, and that is why it was customary to make them for themselves and loved ones, and not for sale ... Easter eggs were created for family, children, for health and fertility , military and economic. Women applied wax to the egg, cut designs on the hardened mass, dyed the egg, then cut it again and dyed it again. And in the end, the wax was stacked, leaving only the resulting bright pattern. Those who were richer used paper, beads, fabric, threads, fresh flowers in needlework. Easter eggs were not offered for the meal - simpler eggs were used. The pysanka consecrated in the church was carefully kept: the egg was placed in a wicker basket and hung in the center of the hut. She not only guarded the house, they went around the field with Easter eggs to attract crops, threw them into the fire to avoid fires, rolled over a sick person for healing, and even looked for treasures with her help.
By the way, in the Ukrainian city of Kolomyia is located Pysanka Museum, the exposition of which has over 6000 eggs. In addition to Ukrainian and Russian, French, Swedish, Canadian, Czech Easter eggs, there are old specimens from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Iran and other parts of the world where the egg has a special honor.
Krapanka- This is another type of egg painting, which also requires considerable skill. Its name comes from the Old Slavonic “drop”: the Easter egg is painted with large colored dots, small spots, splashes or short strokes. At a time when the set of art supplies was limited, it was possible to make a dowel using the same wax. First, the egg was dyed in one color, wax was dripped on it, then in some places the wax was peeled off, and the egg was repainted - and so on several times. The result was a very joyful and colorful egg, as if everything was in the glare of light.
Today, of course, painting an Easter egg has become a whole trend in needlework and, in a sense, even a gambling affair. On the Internet, you can find a lot of incredible ways to create works of home art: not only banal food dyes and thermal films are used, but also acrylic, decoupage tools, stencils, cereals, vegetable oil to simulate stains, floss, lace ... But what really there, eggs are painted in the style of pop art and in the spirit of cubism, portraits of comic and cartoon characters, logos of famous brands and even QR codes appear on them. It may seem at times that the desire to achieve originality has taken precedence over the original meaning of the Easter egg, but the main thing is that it be made with love!
Egg around the head
“A testicle is dear to Christ's day” - this is how a Russian folk proverb says, reminding that what is done on time is especially valuable. Indeed, the Easter egg on Bright Sunday is used in the mass of Christian and folk rituals. Without it, we can say, nowhere!
First meal. A carefully decorated and consecrated egg is an obligatory part of the first Easter meal, when, having come from the morning service, the faithful sat down to break their fast after Great Lent. Tasting an egg on Easter morning is a guarantee of a joyful holiday, a happy life and health.
Giving and christening. Today we continue the tradition started by Mary Magdalene. Elegant eggs become a generous Easter gift, and they are exchanged as a sign of love, hospitality and the unity of believers. "Christ is Risen!" - they say, handing an egg to a loved one in order to hear in response: "Truly Risen!". After that, you need to be christened - that is, kiss three times on the cheeks. By the way, if everything is done according to the rules, then the younger family member should be the first to say the Easter greeting.
Cueballs. It is not known where the tradition of beating eggs on Easter came from. That's how it was done. And today, don't you start the Easter day with a symbolic collision of two eggs - whose is stronger? But the interpretations of this custom are very interesting. The first version is that good and evil are fighting among themselves: the egg, which, fortunately, did not break, resisted the obstacle, is the winner - it was kept in the house as a talisman. The other version is also quite true. In more conservative times, it was not customary to kiss in public, therefore, congratulating each other on Easter, people kissed each other by beating eggs. There is another explanation: the most successful is the one whose egg did break, because when the shell opens, Christ himself appears from the egg, as from a coffin. Be that as it may, cue balls are a wonderful holiday tradition that unobtrusively introduces children to the Easter story, and adults do not get bored!
Egg rolling. In the course of the Orthodox there was another Easter fun - rolling eggs down a small hill. The meaning of the game came down to a well-aimed hit in the eggs of opponents laid out under the hill - if the rolling egg hit one of those lying on the ground, the player took this egg for himself. Or the victory went to the one whose egg swept further, passing the obstacles. Sometimes, at the foot of the hill, painted eggs and all sorts of uncomplicated prizes were laid out. One of the items that knocked out the rolled testicle was the win. Experienced players were able to throw the egg especially cleverly, for example, with twisting or so that at the moment of collision it turned to the target with a sharp end and would certainly break it. Easter egg rolling is a common Christian tradition. To this day, the game is a fun part of the holiday in Germany. And they even have fun rolling eggs on Easter even on the lawn in front of the White House in Washington (this is called the White House Easter Egg Roll) - but here the children roll eggs, hmm, with ladles. All in all, a must try!
Easter Bunny Hunt
Despite the fact that the egg as an Easter attribute is common among Christians everywhere, among Catholics the main symbol of Easter is the rabbit. It is believed that its appearance in the history of the Bright Resurrection dates back to ancient Germanic pagan traditions: the constant companion of the fertility goddess Eostra, who was honored on the day of the vernal equinox, was a rabbit, famous for its fertility. The legend was documented in Germany in the 16th century - then the first story was published about a rabbit that laid eggs on Easter Eve (that's unseen!) And hid them in the garden like a treasure. According to German belief, which later spread throughout Europe and then migrated to North America, the Easter Bunny leaves a nest with colorful eggs as a gift for good children for the holiday, which must be found by all means! Sometimes the kids even “make” this hidden nest and wait for the rabbit to pay a visit (much like waiting for Santa under the tree on Christmas Eve). Images of these wonderful, generous hares holding eggs in their paws, as well as their figurines made of wood, porcelain, wax, dough and - the most desirable! - from chocolate eventually became a symbol of Catholic Easter. "Hunting" for the Easter bunny and searching for the gifts he has in store has turned into family entertainment, which both adults and children are waiting for on Easter. Toy rabbits today are the heroes of entire plots and compositions: they go to school, play, participate in the Easter feast, in general, they set a good example with their whole appearance!
The custom to decorate the Easter tree by analogy with the Christmas tree also came from Europe - this is a symbol of the Tree of Life, the riot of spring. Trees in the courtyards or homemade bouquets of twigs are decorated with ribbons, bows, Easter eggs. The most famous and most beautiful Easter tree grows in the garden of the German Volker Kraft, in the city of Saalfeld: for 50 years now he has been decorating the apple tree near his house with colored eggs - and there are already more than ten thousand of them! Volker Kraft saw the first Easter tree (Osterbaum in German) as a child, in 1945, and got excited about the idea of “growing” his own. In 1965, together with his wife Krista, he began to make his dream come true - first, 18 plastic eggs appeared on the apple tree, then, having decided that plastic decorations were too expensive, the couple took up needlework. They began to paint the eggs by hand, and so that they were not too heavy for the tree, they blow out the contents of the egg, leaving only an elegant shell. For half a century, the collection, in the creation of which the whole family and friends took part, has grown so much that there is simply nowhere to store eggs. In 2015, the branches of the Easter tree, which is breathtaking even from photographs, decorated ten thousand eggs, among which, according to local residents, no two are alike. It's not like decorating a Christmas tree - the Kraft family starts decorating a tree a few weeks before Easter! Hundreds of tourists come to admire it and, inspired by the wonderful Easter tradition, spread it all over the world.
egg masscult
Painting, cinema, literature, design, even computer games - Easter eggs have penetrated everywhere. And we decided to hunt them...
In the famous novel by the Russian writer Ivan Shmelev "The Summer of the Lord", the work on which lasted as many as 14 years, several chapters are devoted to Easter. All of them are imbued with some kind of heart-wrenching warmth, joy and faith that does not require explanation - when you read, you want to return to childhood and wait for Bright Sunday under the aromas of Easter cakes:
“Great Saturday evening. The house is quiet, everyone lay down before matins. I sneak into the hall to see what's outside. There are few people, they bring Easter and Easter cakes in cardboard boxes. In the hall, the wallpaper is pink - from the sun, it is setting. In the rooms there are crimson lamps, Easter: were they blue at Christmas? .. They laid an Easter carpet in the living room, with crimson bouquets. They removed the gray covers from the burgundy armchairs. On the images of wreaths of roses. There are new red "paths" in the hall and in the corridors. In the dining room on the windows - colored eggs in baskets, crimson: tomorrow the father will be christened with the people. In the front - green quarters with wine: to bring. On feather pillows, in the dining room on the sofa - so as not to fail! - there are huge Easter cakes, covered with pink muslin, - they are cooling down. They smell of sweet, fragrant warmth.”
“I look at the testicles given to me. Here is crystal gold, through it - everything is magical. Here - with a stretching fat worm; it has a black head, beady black eyes, and a scarlet cloth tongue. With soldiers, with ducks, carved bone ... And now, porcelain - father. There is a wonderful panorama in it ... Behind the pink and blue flowers of immortelle and moss, behind a glass in a gold rim, one can see in the depths a picture: a snow-white Christ with a banner has risen from the Tomb. The nanny told me that if you look behind the glass, for a long, long time, you will see a living angel. Tired of strict days, of bright lights and ringing, I peer through the glass. It dies in my eyes, - and it seems to me, in flowers, - alive, inexplicably joyful, holy ... - God? .. Not to put into words. I press my testicle to my chest, and the lulling chime shakes me in my sleep.
But Alexander Kuprin's story "Easter Eggs" (1911) turned out to be very ironic - but Easter was such a success for his main character ...
“Tomorrow we have a Bright Sunday, and I can see from all these bags of yours, bundles and cardboard boxes that you are bringing holiday gifts home: different testicles with snakes, compound testicles with rings, lambs, flowers. Well, here I will tell you how, through one Easter egg, I lost my inheritance, relatives and support, and all this in my most adolescent years. The hero of the story gave his rich, callous and quick-tempered uncle an unusual egg from a flower shop. If you write any letters on that egg with water and sprinkle with watercress seeds, then in a week good Easter words grew on its surface in green. But by chance or by mistake of the seller, the uncle, who at the age of 70 was very proud of his black hair, got an egg with an inscription from sprouted watercress: "I was bald." So the hero was left without an inheritance.
Of course, there are Easter eggs in religious painting. In Orthodox iconography, Mary Magdalene, revered as a saint Equal to the Apostles, is rarely depicted in some plots, mainly as a myrrh-bearing woman with a vessel of incense. But sometimes you can see her with a red Easter egg in her hands. The Easter story already familiar to us was captured by the Russian painter Vasily Vereshchagin in the painting “Visit of Mary Magdalene to the Emperor Tiberius” - it adorns the wall of the Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem.
Faberge eggs in general, they have become a common noun, a symbol of an expensive, exquisite gift. Meanwhile, Carl Faberge and the jewelers of his company created the first egg in 1885 by order of Emperor Alexander III, precisely as an Easter surprise for his wife Maria Feodorovna. It was called "Chicken" and was covered on the outside with white, under the shell, enamel, and inside, in the "yolk" of matte gold, there was a chicken made of colored gold. But the surprise did not end there - inside the hen there was a miniature copy of the imperial crown made of gold with diamonds and a chain with a ruby pendant. This is pysanka, so pysanka! However, Carl Faberge borrowed the whole idea: at the beginning of the 18th century, European masters had already made a similar egg, several copies of which are stored today in the museum collections of Dresden, Vienna and Copenhagen. And yet, Faberge impressed the Empress with his creation so much that he was immediately recognized as a court jeweler and received an order to create an egg every year. By the way, the work was so painstaking and delicate that one egg really took almost a whole year. This tradition continued until the reign of Nicholas II. From 1885 to 1917, 71 eggs of indescribable beauty were created, of which 52 are considered imperial.
In modern mass culture, there is a metaphorical concept of "Easter eggs" - a kind of riddle, an author's hint hidden inside a work, whether it be a series, a book, a comic book, a game, or even computer software!
This is where the symbolism of the egg is revealed to the fullest! It is believed that the first "Easter egg" ("Easter egg", Easter Egg) was deliberately used in 1979 by Warren Robinett, the programmer of the computer game "Adventure". Then the authors of the game were not officially indicated anywhere, and the conceited Robinnet decided to hide the mention of himself inside the game: in order to get into the room with the name of the developer, one had to find an invisible point in one of the parts of the labyrinth and move it to the other end of the level. Gradually, postmodern "secrets" with the light hand of directors, programmers, animators began to appear in a variety of genres. For fanatical and attentive viewers, readers, gamers, it has become a special adventure and pleasure to look for author's hints. For example, in the film "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), on the walls of an ancient temple, you can see hieroglyphs in the form of robots from Star Wars R2D2 and C-3PO! And on the cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is a reference to The Rolling Stones - a Shirley Temple doll with the words "Welcome the Rolling Stones" written on it. By the way, a few months later, The Rolling Stones responded to their colleagues and released an album on the cover of which the faces of the Beatles look out from the flower thickets. Easter eggs lurk in Fight Club, A Clockwork Orange, The Matrix, Lost, Breaking Bad, The Simpsons, Aladdin, most computer games, uTorrent, and more. other works. Search for yourself, because if you were good boys and girls, the Easter Bunny is sure to have surprises for you!
This great egg investigation led us to believe that the Easter egg has the miraculous power to unite nations and faiths, children and adults, chocolate lovers and adventurers, ancient traditions and the most modern. The custom of christening, “clinking glasses” with eggs at Easter, of course, is also common in Cyprus. We wish you a happy Easter and "Καλά τσουγκρίσματα! (kaLA tsugrizmata), which means "good clinking"!
Text: Ekaterina Moshkina
Faberge eggs have long been associated with the imperial house of Russia. These unique pieces of jewelry were made especially for the Russian monarchs and miraculously survived the October Revolution.
Almost all the works of art by Carl Faberge have survived to this day, and there are a total of 71 copies. Of this number, 54 jewelry eggs were made specifically for several generations of the royal family. Each of these unique creations was made in a single version, and had its own secret.
What other secrets does this amazing collection hold? This article contains the most fascinating facts about jewelry, which the whole world called Faberge eggs!
Carl Faberge
The world-famous jeweler was born in St. Petersburg in 1846. His father was also engaged in jewelry business, it is not surprising that Karl took over the passion for this business from his family and at the age of 24 he became the head of a jewelry company. In 1882, he took part in the All-Russian exhibition, where Emperor Alexander III liked his works.
Carl Faberge, Emperor Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna
Since then, the monarch has approached him several times with orders. A few years later, the emperor had an idea that only Carl Faberge could realize. He wanted to give something unusual for the Ascension of Jesus to his beloved wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Imperial Faberge Eggs
The first egg, ordered and designed by Emperor Alexander III, was made by a jeweler in 1885. Karl was not the creator of the concept of this souvenir, the emperor asked him to interpret the egg, which was created at the beginning of the 18th century. In total, three such copies were made, one of which was kept in Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen. Since Maria Feodorovna was born in Denmark, the emperor wanted to give her something that would remind her of her childhood and the treasures of her native country.
All three eggs were made with a secret, and contained inside a miniature figure of a chicken, in which a ring was hidden. According to the same principle, Carl Faberge made his first jewelry egg, which was called "Hen" - from white enamel and matte gold. As in a nesting doll, it had a small bird in which jewels were placed - a mini version of the imperial crown and a gold chain with a ruby pendant.
Faberge eggs, the first owner of which was Empress Maria Feodorovna Maria Feodorovna really liked the creation of Faberge, and she immediately elevated him to the rank of a jeweler at court. Now, for each day of ascension, he had to make an egg, in which there must be a surprise. After the death of Emperor Alexander III, the tradition of giving eggs was continued by Emperor Nicholas II, who ordered gifts for his mother and his wife. Soon, a whole team of jewelers from all over the world was engaged in the development and creation of eggs. Most of the craftsmen were from Finland, they all had their own workshops, but considered it an honor to participate in the creation of an order for monarchs.
In total, he made 54 eggs for the imperial house, but today you can see only 48 with your own eyes. After the revolution and the overthrow of the imperial family, the path of these decorations was long and thorny. There are also other collectible eggs that Faberge made for private individuals. It is difficult to say the exact number of these decorations, because Charles only documented the orders of the imperial family. According to reports, a total of 71 specimens are known.
Other Faberge eggs
Carl Faberge skillfully created his masterpieces and each time came up with new designs. Its eggs contained tiny ships, a replica of the emperor's carriage, mini-portraits made on easels, an elephant, and even a mechanical peacock that could walk and lift its tail.
The emperor's collection attracted the attention of many, and some private individuals wanted the same specimens for themselves. The largest collection, in addition to the royal one, was commissioned by magnate Alexander Kelkh for his dearest wife. It consists of seven pieces and is also very popular, although the models are not as skillfully made as the imperial ones. Eight eggs are also known to have been designed by individual orders, including for the Duchess of Marlborough, Felix Yusupov, the Rothschild family and others.
Faberge eggs now
After the revolution, eggs from different collections were scattered all over the world, because at first the Bolsheviks considered them of little value and placed them together with other jewelry in the Kremlin. In 1930, some of the eggs were sold, many for a ridiculous amount of about $400. At the moment, the largest imperial collections are in the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg (11 pieces), in the Moscow Armory (10 pieces), in the Richmond Museum (5 pieces).
Faberge eggs from the Royal Collection of Queen Elizabeth II (London, UK) There are jeweler's eggs in her possession - she keeps three masterpieces from the imperial collection and one belonging to Kelch. Among private collectors, tycoon Forbes managed to find the largest number of eggs, he boasted 15 copies. His heirs wanted to put the collection up for auction, but the Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg offered a decent amount and bought all the copies. Now they are in the Faberge Museum, which he founded. According to a rough estimate, the cost of the Forbes collection cost him 100 million rubles.
Faberge Museum The rest of the eggs are scattered around the world in private collections and museums. Among them there are both well-known exhibits and little-known works by Faberge. Until now, it is very popular and famous all over the world.
