Goose egg: properties and uses in cooking
The goose eggs can be a real novelty for those not used to country life, like turkey eggs, ostrich or peacock! Can goose eggs be eaten? Of course. It is said that, on average, a goose egg (in quantitative terms, therefore due to its size) corresponds to two chicken eggs. If you are looking for a recipe for enjoying a goose egg, know that you can use it as much as you would with chicken eggs, remembering to keep this ratio: use one goose egg for every two chicken eggs.
Duck eggs or goose eggs?
The duck is a young goose… however, in many areas of Italy, the term duck is used improperly as a synonym for a duck. For this ambiguity, the term duck eggs may indicate improperly both goose eggs, both the duck eggs. Either way, the talk of duck eggs is making a mistake. The reason? The duck is a juvenile goose, not yet of reproductive age, so it does not lay eggs.
Looking at the photo below you will notice the classic chicken eggs, next to which there are duck eggs (white), while on the edge of the wicker basket there are the largest goose eggs. The big egg in the corner is an ostrich egg. The duck eggs are only slightly larger than the traditional chicken eggs, while a goose egg is much bigger! In both cases, they are white eggs.
The geese tend to lay a lower number of duck eggs, but both parents protect the nest and are small, so if you want to take the eggs from the nest of a goose, you’ll need to be very careful because this could grope to attack you to protect its eggs! Getting a goose bite is not a good thing at all and trust me, I say this from direct experience! Just like a swan, a goose can be quite frightening when it points at you, and in worst-case scenarios, geese can even chase you in groups. 🙂
Goose egg: nutritional properties
The shell of a goose egg is very hard to break. How big is a goose egg? The diameter is twice that of “L size” chicken eggs. With a single goose egg, you can make a good-sized omelet. And what about the flavor? It is only slightly more intense.
- Calories of a goose egg: 266 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 2 gr
- Proteins: 19.5 gr
- Fats: 20 gr (of which saturated 5 g)
- Cholesterol: 1227 mg
- Iron: 29% DV
- Calcium: 9% DV
- Vitamin A: 19% DV
- Choline: 70% DV
- Selenium: 73% DV
- Vitamin B12: 312% DV
Goose eggs have different nutritional properties compared to chicken eggs.
The goose egg is appreciated for its high content of vitamin B12. This vitamin is also found in abundance in duck eggs but is only scarcely contained in chicken eggs.
Please note: Goose eggs contain 1227 mg of cholesterol, the equivalent of about 6 chicken eggs! No alarmism, cholesterol is not “Satan”, it should not be avoided like the plague … however it is necessary to maintain a balanced diet and avoid “bad” cholesterol especially when the food source is given by a processed food (baked goods, meats processed, processed foods …). Cholesterol is contained in goose egg yolk but… avoiding egg yolk was a popular strategy last century. Today, research in the nutritional field has established that not all cholesterol is harmful to the body.
If you want to be scrupulous about your health, make sure you avoid junk food first and then consult your nutritionist to work out a balanced diet.
Are goose eggs bad for you?
No, but they can have contraindications. The egg is not indicated for those suffering from cholecystitis and gallstones as choline contained in the yolk may cause mild contraction of gall bladders.
Raising geese for eggs
A single goose egg can cost 2 – 3 euros. If you are thinking of breeding geese, know that the undertaking is not that difficult. However, keep in mind that a goose only lays an average of 40 eggs per year. Spawning increases in spring.
Where to buy goose eggs? In farmers’ markets and by word of mouth: Italy is rich in rural areas, certainly in your area (or just outside the city) you will find a country estate or a farm where the sale of goose eggs is practiced.
