Many love to have boiled eggs in their breakfast, as it is a tasty, as well as nutritious, item… but can one imagine that eggs, boiled in urine, may be considered as a favourite delicacy? Well, it is one of the most popular dishes in Zheijiang, the eastern coastal province of the People’s Republic of China! The demand for eggs, boiled in urine, increases tremendously in the Asian Nation especially in spring. And of course, there is a story behind this.

Eggs, boiled in urine, are called Virgin Boy Eggs. It is a popular dish in Dongyang, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Jinhua in the Central Chinese Province of Zhejiang. The Virgin Boy Egg also has a special cultural connection with local people. In the local language, this dish is called Tong zi dan or Boy Egg.

As soon as spring arrives, egg vendors start collecting urine of the school boys in Dongyang. Then, the eggs are dipped in urine. As the eggs are boiled in the urine collected mostly from prepubescent peasant boys, the dish is called Virgin Boy eggs.

According to a report recently published in the New York Times, the eggs are boiled in urine, first. After removing their shells, eggs are boiled again in the urine so that the smell of urine comes from them. Locals are of the opinion that consuming this food item improves blood circulation, apart from increasing strength. Furthermore, Virgin Boy Eggs protect one from fever and cold.

This is a very popular dish in Dongyang. The present society has accepted this food. However, doctors are not sure whether Virgin Boy Eggs have any medicinal properties, as claimed by locals.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das