4 ms·

I'm a swede and I had no idea, I've refrigerated eggs as long as I can remember. My parents are from Croatia though so it's kind of weird that I picked up this

I'm a swede and I had no idea, I've refrigerated eggs as long as I can remember. My parents are from Croatia though so it's kind of weird that I picked up this habit. My relatives in Croatia do not refrigerate eggs. Most swedes that I can think of refrigerate their eggs straight from the store. The recommendation is printed on the box to refrigerate. Now that I've read this article it suddenly makes sense why I've sometimes seen dirt (maybe poo?) and feathers on store bought eggs.

tomca32 10y ago
Hmm..weird. I'm from Croatia and I would be surprised to see people not refrigerate eggs. We (me and my family) always refrigerated them. Every fridge I've seen has egg holders that we would fill up. Pretty sure that most people I know refrigerate eggs, but then again, I never really paid attention to that.
- INTPenis 10y ago
  Well my relatives are from the country, they have their own chickens. But yeah, like you say, even in Croatia most refrigerators are sold with egg holders.
  - csydas 10y ago
    Im a us expat living in Russia; eggs are sold nkn refrigerated but virtually everyone's home I've been to stores eggs in the refrigerator. The only time I haven't seen it was rural houses. I've known about this factoid for some time after reading an article om NPR about it, and I guess I always just assumed it was cultural assimilation happening. That is, we see people in US tv and movies do it, so we do it. I didn't know there was a difference in preparation prior to the article and most don't seem to either. So instead we just do what everyone else does.
- mercer 10y ago
  I notice quite a mix of behavior, even in just my own. Usually I refrigerate my eggs simply because they stay good for longer that way. But when I don't have much space, or when I know I'll be eating the eggs relatively soon, I'll leave them out. I've seen other do the same.
pvg 10y ago
I think the article overgeneralizes about 'Europeans'. EU regulations may not allow egg washing and I'm sure not all stores refrigerate eggs but I imagine zillions of people all over Europe bring the eggs home from the grocery and stick them in the fridge. just like most Americans.
- justincormack 10y ago
  Generally homes dont have larders or anywhere remotely cool. Or even storage space outside fridges, so yes...
  - pvg 10y ago
    In their German-made fridge with its shelf with convenient egg-shaped indentations.
pasbesoin 10y ago
My father, from the States, lived and helped out on a Swedish farm for a month or so, in the Sixties. Eggs went into a basket by the door, until they were eaten. They were never refrigerated. One little story/detail he repeats, whenever this topic comes up.
kalleboo 10y ago
Eggs are washed in Sweden and must be refrigerated. The article is generalizing about "Europe". As a side note, Sweden has eradicated salmonella in the egg-laying chicken population so Swedish eggs are 100% salmonella-free.
- germanier 10y ago
  There is a consumer preference for washed eggs in Sweden now for decades (which seems to be the result of some information campaign). Therefore Sweden is the only EU country in which eggs can generally be washed but washing is tightly regulated there.

tomca32 10y ago

Hmm..weird. I'm from Croatia and I would be surprised to see people not refrigerate eggs. We (me and my family) always refrigerated them. Every fridge I've seen has egg holders that we would fill up. Pretty sure that most people I know refrigerate eggs, but then again, I never really paid attention to that.

INTPenis 10y ago
Well my relatives are from the country, they have their own chickens. But yeah, like you say, even in Croatia most refrigerators are sold with egg holders.
- csydas 10y ago
  Im a us expat living in Russia; eggs are sold nkn refrigerated but virtually everyone's home I've been to stores eggs in the refrigerator. The only time I haven't seen it was rural houses. I've known about this factoid for some time after reading an article om NPR about it, and I guess I always just assumed it was cultural assimilation happening. That is, we see people in US tv and movies do it, so we do it. I didn't know there was a difference in preparation prior to the article and most don't seem to either. So instead we just do what everyone else does.
mercer 10y ago
I notice quite a mix of behavior, even in just my own. Usually I refrigerate my eggs simply because they stay good for longer that way. But when I don't have much space, or when I know I'll be eating the eggs relatively soon, I'll leave them out. I've seen other do the same.

pvg 10y ago

I think the article overgeneralizes about 'Europeans'. EU regulations may not allow egg washing and I'm sure not all stores refrigerate eggs but I imagine zillions of people all over Europe bring the eggs home from the grocery and stick them in the fridge. just like most Americans.

justincormack 10y ago
Generally homes dont have larders or anywhere remotely cool. Or even storage space outside fridges, so yes...
- pvg 10y ago
  In their German-made fridge with its shelf with convenient egg-shaped indentations.

pasbesoin 10y ago

My father, from the States, lived and helped out on a Swedish farm for a month or so, in the Sixties. Eggs went into a basket by the door, until they were eaten. They were never refrigerated. One little story/detail he repeats, whenever this topic comes up.

kalleboo 10y ago

Eggs are washed in Sweden and must be refrigerated. The article is generalizing about "Europe". As a side note, Sweden has eradicated salmonella in the egg-laying chicken population so Swedish eggs are 100% salmonella-free.

germanier 10y ago
There is a consumer preference for washed eggs in Sweden now for decades (which seems to be the result of some information campaign). Therefore Sweden is the only EU country in which eggs can generally be washed but washing is tightly regulated there.