Easter: How our grandmothers dyed eggs
Every year before Easter, the shelf in the store is full of bags of artificial colors. And the most beautiful and durable eggs are painted with something that we normally consider waste - onion peels that are left over after cooking anyway.
This technique is not new. It has been passed down from generation to generation, and the results are always interesting: deep, warm shades from golden-yellow to dark-brown, and if you use a red onion, you can also get purple and burgundy tones. So each egg turns out to be unique!
What will you need?
- 18 Brown eggs - for a lighter color, you can also use white eggs. In this recipe, we use brown eggs for a richer color.
- Leaves and herbs as desired - parsley, clover; you can also use meadow grass leaves
- Old nylon stockings so that we could stick the slips on the eggs
- Thread for tying a nylon stocking around the egg
- Onions (dry onion skins) - a bag of onions; the more bulbs, the stronger the color
- Two bay leaves
- Water for cooking the eggs
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar
- 1dl sunflower oil for shine at the end
How is it made?
1. Prepare the shells and eggs
Take the eggs out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before preparation. It is important that the eggs stay at room temperature for a while so that they do not crack during cooking.
Gather onion skins - black onions are most commonly used, but red onions can also be used if you want richer, warmer colors.
2. Make patterns
Press small leaves or plant sprigs against the eggshell, then carefully wrap each egg in a piece of nylon stocking. Pull the nylon tight from all sides and tie it with thread—without wrinkles. The tighter you pull the thread, the sharper and clearer the pattern will be. You don’t have to tie each egg separately; instead, line them up like a train and tie the thread after each egg. This is a much faster and more efficient method.
3. Cooking
In a large pot, first arrange a layer of onions, on top of which you will place the prepared eggs. Then put another layer of onions on top of that.
When you have put everything in the pot, pour cold water over everything and add a tablespoon of vinegar, so that the color is absorbed better and the eggs do not break.
For a richer taste and stronger color intensity, you can use bay leaves. We used two bay leaves for 18 eggs.
Turn on the heat and wait for the water to boil, after which you should leave the eggs to cook on low heat for 6 minutes. If the eggs are cooked on high heat, they can harden, which can cause them to break easily later on.
Then you can turn off the heat and leave everything in the pan for another 30-60 minutes. Do not leave for too long, because the color can penetrate the egg white.
4. The finishing touch
When the eggs have stood enough, take them out of the sock and leave them on a cloth to dry. Take the eggs out of the pot while they are still warm, and then gently coat them with a drop or two of oil so that the color is absorbed better.
Onions are naturally rich in tannins and pigments which, with the help of vinegar as a fixative, are deeply absorbed into the eggshell. The result is a color that does not fade, does not stain hands and is completely safe to eat.
Interesting fact: If you leave the eggs to cook in boiling water for more than 10 minutes, the shell of the yolk will acquire a greenish pigment. This happens because during long exposure to high temperatures, a chemical reaction occurs between the iron in the yolk and the sulfur in the egg white. Even if the eggs are overcooked, this chemical reaction is not dangerous and only changes the color of the yolk, so everything is still edible!
Some ideas for Easter decoration:
Hristos Voskrese!
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