Who doesn’t like eggs? Do you like them scrambled, fried, hard boiled, poached? There are so many ways to prepare eggs but do you know how you call your favorite eggs in German? Here are words and phrases about eggs as well as short notes on famous eggs and of course Loriot’s skit about the breakfast egg.
Das Ei - Egg
Verben
braten, brät, briet, gebraten – to fry
kochen (reg) – to cook; to boil
sieden, siedet, sott, gesotten – to seethe, to boil
garen (reg) – to cook
pochieren (reg) – to poach
backen, gebacken – to bake
rühren (reg) – to stir
verrühren (reg) – to scramble, to mix
stocken lassen – to curdle, to thicken
(herum) eiern (reg) – to wobble, to roll or walk around like an egg
Egg Dishes
das Rührei – scrambled eggs
die Rühreier – scrambled eggs
While das Rührei is singular you can use the word to refer to multiple eggs.
die Eierspeis(e), -n – scrambled eggs (used in Austria)
das Omelett, -e/s – omelette
In Switzerland and regionally in Austria: die Omelette, -n
An omelette can be filled with vegetables, bacon, herbs etc, or they can be made with a sweet filling.
das Spiegelei, -er – lit. mirror egg; fried egg
The word Spiegelei is from the 18th century and probably comes from the reflective shine (like a mirror) of the egg yolk.
Other words for a fried eggs are Setzeier (set eggs), Stierenaugen (Swiss; steer’s eyes), or Ochsenaugen (oxen eyes). But be careful, Ochsenaugen is also the word for a round cookie with a jam filling.
If a pizza or steak is served with fried eggs on top it is called á la or alla Bismarck. Click here if you want to know more about food named after the German statesman Otto von Bismarck.
das pochierte Ei, die pochierten Eier – poached egg(s)
also: das verlorene Ei, die verlorenen Eier – lit. lost egg(s)
From French poche meaning Tasche or pouch because the egg white encloses the egg yolk like a pouch.
The egg without shell is carefully placed in boiling water with added vinegar and swirled around. The egg yolk pulls down and is enclosed in the curdling egg white, it is ‘lost’ in it.
A poached egg can be served in any kinds of variations. Eggs Benedict for example are served on a toast or English muffin with bacon and a sauce hollondaise.
Gefüllte or Russische Eier – lit. filled or Russian eggs; deviled eggs
These eggs can be made with a variety of fillings, from mustard/mayo sauce to caviar, decorated with herbs and spices. These eggs are often used for a decorative element.
The name Russian probably comes from the filled eggs that were served on Russian vegetable salad, but can be used for any filled eggs.
der Eierstich – royale
Eierstich or royale is a popular egg custard that is served as a garnish in clear soups. It’s a mix of eggs and milk slowly thickened in a buttered dish in hot water. After baking it can be cut into pieces and used as garnish.
Click here for a recipe.
der Eischnee (no pl.) – lit. egg snow; beaten/whipped egg white
Eischnee is often used in baking, in a meringue, soufflé or sponge cake. In German cakes, you will also see Eischnee as layer on top of a cake, almost baked like a meringue top.
das hart gekochte Ei – hard boiled egg
Hard boiled eggs can be sliced and placed on a piece of bread to make it more of a meal.
See the link below for an egg slicer.
Strammer Max – lit. sturdy Max
A Strammer Max is a fried egg on a slice of bread with ham. Variations including cheese, onions, Leberkäse instead of ham, exist and sometimes go by different names like Stramme Lotte or Strammer Otto.
It was originally part of the Saxon and Berlin cuisine but is now known everywhere in Germany. Apparently, in 1920s Saxony it was common to refer to an erected penis as Strammer Max, stramm meaning not only sturdy but also erect or upright. Max is a common boy’s name but in this context it can also be the short or ‘adult’ version of Pipimax, an expression children use for penis. I guess a Strammer Max is very potency enhancing.
The Four and a Half Minute Egg (Loriot)
Idiomatic Expressions
This idiomatic expression is not as old as you might think; it was first used in the 1960s. Das Gelbe vom Ei is the Eigelb (egg yellow, egg yolk) and the best part of the egg, and when something is not the best it clearly isn’t an egg yolk.
The exclamation Ach, du dickes Ei! is one of many ways used to express surprise and disbelief. Synonyms include Ach, du meine Güte!, Ach, du grüne Neune!, Oh Gottogott!, and Ach, herrjemine!
I don’t know about you but when I peel an egg, sometimes it looks clean and shiny, other times not so much. But when you use the expression that somebody looks like they were peeled out of an egg, it definitely means that that somebody looks perfect, fresh, new, well groomed and dressed.
The saying has been around since the 16th century.
If you are wondering if I made a spelling mistake when I wrote Appel and not Apfel let me say that Appel is the low German word for Apfel.
Apples and eggs used to be relatively easy to come by if you had an apple tree and chickens. Paying only an apple and an egg for something indicates a good deal (ein Schnäppchen). The opposite would be to pay an arm and a leg for something.
This is an expression used to indicate that you don’t care about something or somebody. Instead of braten (to fry) you can use backen (to bake) or pellen (to peel).
This expression is really straight forward. Eggs basically all look alike if they come from the same kind of bird. If two people resemble each other you can compare them to two eggs.
Famous Eggs
Das Ei des Kolumbus - The Egg of Columbus
The Egg of Columbus is not an egg that belonged to Columbus but an expression referring to a surprisingly easy solution to a problem, normally after the fact.
The following story around it dates back to Girolamo Benzoni‘s book History of the New World from 1565.
At a dinner in 1493 Columbus having returned from America was confronted by Cardinal Mendoza. Mendoza said that anybody could have ‘discovered’ the new continent and it’s really not an accomplishment at all. Columbus reportedly then challenged his dinner companions to make an egg on its tip. After everybody failed, Columbus took the egg and dented it at the tip thereby making it stand. In the South American version, he put the egg into a small heap of salt.
When the other men protested and said that anybody could have done that, Columbus supposedly replied: “The difference, gentlemen, is that you could have done it, but I did it.”
A similar story was told by Giorgio Vasari about the Italian architect Filippo Brunelleschi, predating Benzoni’s anecdote by 15 years.
Brunelleschi designed a large and heavy dome for the Santa Maria del Fiore church in Florence, Italy. The city officials asked to see his designs but he proposed that he would show them if they could make an egg stand up on its tip. They couldn’t but Brunelleschi crushed the bottom of the egg and stood it upright. As in Benzoni’s story the men protested insisting they could do the same. Brunelleschi said they could also build the dome if they saw his designs. He was allowed to build without having to show his blueprints.
Fabergé Egg
Fabergé eggs are ornamental objects in the form of an Easter egg and were predominantly made for the Russian royal family from 1885 – 1917. They are still a symbol of exceptional goldsmithery and luxury. The eggs are made with high quality materials like ivory, gold, pearls, and diamonds, and normally open to reveal a surprise inside.
In 17th century Russia it was custom to give decorated eggs and three kisses to friends and family on Easter. Over time it became tradition to not give chicken eggs but symbolic eggs made from various materials like wood, glass, metal, or porcelain.
In 1885, the Russian Tsar Alexander III commissioned the goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé to make an Easter egg for his wife Maria Fyodorovna. It was the so-called Hennen-Ei (Hen-Egg) which was an enamel egg with a golden band. When you opened the egg it revealed a golden ‘yolk’ that contained a golden hen which held a diamond crown.
The Tsar was so amazed that he made Fabergé the imperial goldsmith and commissioned an Easter egg every year for his wife until his death in 1894. His son Nicolas II continued the tradition and had 40 Fabergé eggs made for his wife and mother until the Russian Revolution in 1917.
The Fabergé eggs can be found in museums and private collections.
Überraschungsei - The Kinder Surprise Egg
Kinder Überraschung or Überraschungsei, short Ü-Ei, is a product by the Italian candy company Ferrero. Kinder is German for children and under this name many chocolate products are distributed in Germany. The surprise egg has been available in Germany since 1974.
In the US too, you can buy a variety of Kinder products. My grocery store, for example, carries Kinder Bueno. However, the Kinder Surprise is illegal in the US because it contains a non-food item in a food item. Children in the America can buy Kinder Joy though, which is also an egg, also contains chocolate and a toy, but not one within the other.
The Kinder Surprise egg consists of a thin chocolate egg that can be broken into two pieces. Inside you’ll find a yellow plastic container that holds a small toy. Often it’s multiple pieces that can be put together to make a car or some kind of toy.
Very popular are the figurines that could be in an egg. There are whole series of different figures like smurfs or hippos. People collected them like people used to collect Beanie Babies in the 1990s and some sold for a considerable amount of money.
Das Weichei
Das Weichei sounds just like a soft boiled egg which it technically is, but really it used as an insult, mostly for men. A Weichei is a weakling or a wimp and the word came up in the 1980s when men started to become more sensitive and ‘soft’. It should be noted that Eier also refers to testicles, just like Nüsse (nuts).
The following words fall into the same category: Warmduscher (somebody who takes warm showers), Schattenparker (somebody who parks in the shade), or Sitzenpinkler (a man who pees sitting down).
Der Eiermann
For handmade egg cozies check out the etsy shop goldiesknits.
