Urine-Soaked Eggs? I had some already, thanks!

Would you eat eggs that had been soaked in pee?

I didn’t think so.

But there’s a place in China where people eat them every spring. And why not? Eggs are good, and pee is sterile (no germs!), so maybe these eggs aren't that bad. Let’s learn more!

People in the city of Dongyang have been eating urine-eggs for centuries. First, the flowers bloom. Then, people start boiling eggs in pee. And the resulting odor is called “the smell of spring.”

But it can’t be just ANYBODY’S pee. Supposedly, the pee from boys tastes best.

Okay, NOW this is getting weird. Egg sellers go to elementary schools and collect the pee they’ll use to boil eggs with. The recipe:

1.) Soak eggs in pee and heat them over the stove.

2.) Once the urine is boiling, pull the eggs out. Crack their shells off and then putting them back in the boiling urine.

3.) Pour in new urine. Then simmer the eggs for 24 hours.

I never thought I'd type the words "boiling pee." Anyway, what do the pee-eggs taste like? 

“It is so yummy. I can eat 10 within a day,” says one person.

Uh, okay. As for you, you may feel like throwing up right now.

But could these eggs actually be good for you? Well, pee is composed of waste products from the body.

So why put it BACK in the body? And can't these people come up with a better smell of spring than boiling urine? (What's wrong with flowers, people?)

Story and photos from the Ministry of Tofu.