Eggs as food
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Humans and their hominid relatives have consumed eggs for millions of years. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especially chickens. People in Southeast Asia began harvesting chicken eggs for food by 1500 BCE. Eggs of other birds, such as ducks and ostriches, are eaten regularly but much less commonly than those of chickens. People may also eat the eggs of reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Fish eggs consumed as food are known as roe or caviar.
Fried eggs and carrots with Parmesan and cream
Ancient Egyptian depictions of offerings at the tomb of Menna, including a basket of eggs
Quail eggs (upper left), chicken egg (lower left), and ostrich egg (right)
Collected chicken eggs and quail eggs in a wicker basket
Roe
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Roe, or hard roe, is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooked ingredient in many dishes, and as a raw ingredient for delicacies such as caviar.
Salmon roe (left) and sturgeon roe (caviar) (right)
Swedish Toast Skagen topped with cold-smoked salmon roe, on bread
Photograph of men harvesting and fertilizing salmon eggs from a female at a hatchery in Alaska by John Nathan Cobb (early 20th century)
Fried roe dish with vegetables