Cooking Up Some Curious Cuisines! Part 8

1. A century egg is a Chinese preserved egg, often a duck egg, that turns dark green with a gelatinous, dark brown exterior. Traditionally, these are made by preserving them in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, rice husks or bran, and quicklime for weeks to months. There are now recipes for making these at home that don't involve the use of things like clay or bran. They have a rich, pungent, and slightly sulfuric flavor and are commonly used in appetizers, congee (a savory rice porridge), and with tofu. Have you ever eaten duck eggs?

2. Salo is a Ukrainian dish made of cured slabs of pork fatback seasoned with salt and sometimes herbs and garlic for weeks or even months, then the results are thinly sliced and served with bread, pickles or onion or just on its own. This can be eaten raw or cooked, and Ukrainians love salo so much they actually have two festivals devoted to the lardy treat — Salo Festival held in Poltova each February and With Love to Salo held in Lutsk every September. Have you ever attended a food festival?