Egg

A Dozen Ovatures

By: Lizzie Stark

Narrated by: Lizzie Stark

An unconventional history of the world’s largest cellular workhorse, from chickens to penguins, from art to crime, and more.

The egg is a paradox―both alive and not alive―and a symbol as old as culture itself. In this wide-ranging and delightful journey through its natural and cultural history, Lizzie Stark explores the egg’s deep meanings, innumerable uses, and metabolic importance through a dozen dazzling specimens.

From Mali to Finland, mythologies around the globe have invested the egg with powers of regeneration and fecundity, often ascribing the origin of the world to a cosmic egg. An oracle to Romans, fought over by Gold Rush gangs, used as the foundation of the Clown Egg Registry, and blasted into space, the egg has taken on larger proportions than, say, the ovum of an ostrich.

It has starred in global dishes from the Korean comfort food ttukbaegi gyeranjjim to the less regaled yet iconic soft-boiled egg. Stark writes a biography of French-born chef Jacques Pépin through his egg creations, and weaves in her personal experiences, like attempting to make the perfect omelet or trying her hand at pysanky―the Ukrainian art of egg decoration. She also explores her fraught relationship to the eggs in her body due to a familial link to cancer, and shares her delight in becoming a mother.

Filled with colorful characters and fascinating morsels, Egg is playful, informative, and guarantees that you’ll never take this delicate ovoid for granted again.

©2023 Lizzie Stark (P)2023 Spotify Audiobooks

Answers the Chicken & Egg Question Definitely

A fun and fascinating book on everything egg-related, and answers the question "chicken & egg - which came first" once and for all. I'm pleasantly surprised by the answer and wish I could have thought of it first.

Egg is a day-to-day food item for us human, the source of life for many species, and the fascination of generations across time and geography. This book covers the whole spectrum from all angles: culinary, biology, science, culture, economy, mythology, history, etc. It's definitely a perfect holiday read for fun facts & insightful information, and a great conversation starter, too.

If you want to read more on the crossing between culinary and culture, try "Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us" by George Zaidan (2020) & "Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation" by Michael Pollan (2013, or any of his books). If you like books that explore the history and human society from a foodie's perspective, check out "The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket" by Benjamin Lorr (2020) & "A History of the World in 6 Glasses Paperback" by Tom Standage (2006). A fun food-theme fantasy/sci-fi is "Sourdough" by Robin Sloan (2017), which combines our love for bread and our fondness for robots.

Eggcellent book

Great flow and pacing. It is full of practical and well researched information. I need more books read and written by the author.

A wealth of fascinating knowledge

A very personal writing voice covering a huge range of scientific, culinary, historical, ornithological, biological facts… yet somehow never heavy. If you’re into any of these aspects of eggs, you’ll find yourself fascinated by others too!
Plus, each chapter is relatively short and self-contained, so you can dip in and out if you like to mix it up between fiction and non-fiction.