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Comment by mastazi | Hacker News Reader

Please excuse me if my question is dumb, I've never been to the US so I might just be uninformed...

I've noticed in movies and shows that eggs in the US usually have a white shell, whereas in other countries (at least the ones I have lived in, i.e. Europe, SE Asia and Australia) they are usually of a colour that I would describe as beige/light-brown. is that because of the washing process described in the article, or is it just because of the hen's breed?

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Egg color is actually a genetic characteristic. The most common layer of white eggs is the Leghorn Chicken, which is pretty common in American factory farming. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leghorn_chicken I think a big aspect is just that there is a cultural expectation of eggs being white in the US. 'Free range' and Organic brands often choose chickens that lay brown eggs though, as a way to distinguish their product and appear more 'natural'.

edit: auto correct.

It's opposite in Europe, eggs are typically brown, while the white ones are considered more 'natural'.

If I, being from the UK, see white eggs I assume they're duck eggs. I certainly wouldn't consider white eggs, of any kind, to be more natural though.

When I was a kid in the UK eggs were generally white, but brown became more fashionable at some point (more wholesome like brown bread?).

Here (Norway) they are usually white. Brown eggs are a little more expensive.

Not here (in this part of Norway). The eggs I bought most recently from our local Kiwi (Svelvik, Vestfold) are brown and they were the cheapest eggs I could buy, FirstPrice.

Oh, neat. I'm up in Trondheim.

And I'm an immigrant: Knowing different colors of eggs are common in different areas makes me a bit more intrigued in that bit of farming. The farms are different here than they were in the US. Conversation points for next time I'm out on a farm! Thanks muchly.

For completeness' sake I should point out that I have since bought another box and they were all white, same brand, same shop.

In the midwest of the USA cheap store bought eggs are white. Organic or free-ranged are brown.

It is all just marketing. Brown used to be common and white were seen as more expensive. Then they all went white. Now brown are more expensive.

> or is it just because of the hen's breed?

The shell is the hen's breed - its genetic.

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/why_are_chicken_eggs_different_...

The yolk is the hen's food, often from additives that are chosen by the farmer to create the yolk colour they want.

http://blog.chickenwaterer.com/2013/03/influencing-egg-yolk-...

Here's an egg yolk colour chart. http://www.robotmation.co.jp/keiranycceng.htm

You can buy both in the UK, but light brown are most common. It's nothing to do with washing, it's just a cultural preference... like streaky (American) vs back bacon.

And the only reason eggs arent refrigerated in supermarkets is because... well, they're only in the store for a few days tops. I personally keep mine in the fridge.

The color of eggs and type of bacon are horrible analogs - the color of your eggs has zero bearing on their flavor, whereas anyone who'd choose back bacon over proper bacon is just a monster.

This varies with region. Here in New England, more people prefer brown eggs. They come from brown chickens (like Rhode Island Reds). There's even an old advertising jingle that mostly older people remember, "Brown eggs are local eggs, and local eggs are fresh!"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_as_food#Color_of_eggshell

I don't know the history behind it, but yes, in America stores typically sell both white and brown eggs. Purely by anecdote, I notice that shoppers with a bent toward "organic" favor brown eggs for some reason. As far as I know they are the same in every essential regard, except the shell color.

We have brown eggs here in California at least, but most are white.

I believe the breed. You can still get brown eggs in the US as well and they are refrigerated just like the white ones.

I've heard that they remove the surface of the shell as well.

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