Walnut-like egg found in Xi'an

Mrs. Zhang, a citizen in Xi'an city, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, broke an egg by accident on the morning of Jan. 1, 2016. Normally this was a trifle. But this egg was walnut-like with rugged surface. "We are afraid of eating it because we have children at home and maybe there is something wrong with the egg," said Mrs. Zhang.

Except the different appearance, this egg has more yolk than other eggs. "It is hard for us to make judgments. I have seen such unique eggs for several times before. It is edible but I do not suggest people to eat it," said a worker in a supermarket.

In fact, Mrs. Zhang was not the only one to see walnut-like eggs. Several walnut-like eggs were found in Fuqing city, southeast China's Fujian province in September 2015. Some eggs with the shape of eggplants were discovered in Xiamen city. One egg with the pattern of a swan was seen in 2013.

What happened to these eggs? "Eggs with unique appearances are usually related to oviducts of hens. For instance, hens who suffer from malnutrition, acalcerosis and endocrine disorder may release more calcium and lay such unique eggs. In my opinion, these eggs are edible after adequate cooking," said chairman of Shaanxi Health Manager Association.