Kinkan (unlaid egg yolks) ✦

Kinkan (œufs non pondus)

What it is

They are named after the kumquat — kinkan — because that is what a chain of unlaid yolks looks like, graded from pea to full size inside the hen. A skewer that keeps a yolk attached to its length of oviduct is called chōchin, a paper lantern, and there are only a handful in any bird.

In the kitchen

Grill them at the edge of the coals and turn them constantly — high heat splits the membrane and the yolk is gone in a second. They want salt only; a sweet tare buries a richness already beyond any laid yolk.

Goes with

Salt Hon-mirin Koikuchi shoyu Sansho pepper Negi Yuzu kosho

Same species

Egg white powder (albumin) Chicken tail (bonjiri) Bresse chicken Capon Chicken Rooster

Something wrong here, or missing? Tell us