Eggs & Hens - what's the craic?

You’ve probably eaten eggs as long as you can remember, right?. Did you know 544 million eggs are produced annually in Ireland. But what makes a good one?

In a new podcast by the NeighbourFood team, Jack and Joleen find out what the craic with eggs is and speak to one of Ireland’s most loved food personalities and founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School, Darina Allen about her love for hens, her favourite way of eating eggs, how to recognise the freshest of eggs and how to source the best ones. Spoiler alert; Befriend your farmer is the key advice here!

But which came first, the chicken or the egg? We pick the brains of food historian Dr. Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, lecturer in Culinary Arts in the Technological University Dublin for this age-old question who explains how eggs first came to Ireland, the recognition of their nutrition in Irish folklore (seems we’ve been eating them a long time indeed!) and how eggs were sold to pay the rent instead of feeding the poor during famine times. 

A lovely listen with some surprises that might crack you up along the way.

If you’d like some more info on the history of eggs in Irish cuisine and culture, this is a fascinating read by Dr. Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

Finally, did you know that the number of pleats in a chef's hat was meant to represent all the different ways you can cook an egg? We've made a printable chef's hat for a fun activity you can do with the kids at home. Send us a pic of your creations on our social media channels @NeighbourFoodMarkets

The NeighbourFood Podcast is presented by Jack Crotty and Joleen Cronin.

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