It is really true that happy hen lays good egg. To have a high quality product, it is not just a question of guaranteeing a healthy and balanced diet, but of taking care of the well-being of the animal in its entirety. Symbol of simple cuisine, eggs are also protagonists of complex preparations, so it is important to know how to recognize quality ones. Depending on the type of breeding or feeding, very different results can be obtained both in terms of flavor and nutritional properties.
In recent years, attention to animal welfare and their nutrition has increased, even if the numbers are still distant. According to ISMEA Report "Egg Trends, for consumption", in 2019 Italian production is guaranteed by around 39,8 million laying hens, housed in over 2.300 farms, mostly concentrated in Northern Italy (Veneto and Lombardy). 47% are raised "on the ground", 45% in farms with "enriched cages", 3% in free-range farms and, finally, 5% in organic ones. Due to the pandemic and the restrictive measures, in 2020 there was an increase in imports, equal to 16% in the first two months of the year and, consequently, a contraction in export flows (-3,4%).
Currently, the egg market offers a wide range of high-quality products from virtuous free-range and free-range farms, with great attention to the well-being and nutrition of the hens. Not all eggs are created equal, but are divided into red or white, organic or "normal", then there are hens fed with milk, hemp or flaxseed. Here are some of the best Italian eggs.
Paolo Parisi
Paolo Parisi at his "Le Macchie" farm in Usigliano di Lari, in the province of Pisa, immersed in the Tuscan hills, raises about 2 thousand Leghorn breed hens, from which it obtains around 1.500 eggs a day. For over 3 years the management of the farm has passed to his son Filippo and his wife Chiara.
Parisi eggs are white on the outside with a deep yellow yolk, a symbol of quality and excellence all over the world. The secret? The feeding of the hens that feed on a mixture of ground grains and drink goat milk from the farm, milked every morning. This simple but precious ingredient makes the Parisi eggs tastier and the dough elastic and soft. In addition, it has three times the ability to absorb air than other eggs. An unconventional taste that tastes like nature. Excellent for desserts, but also for making dough which is much more compact and homogeneous.
Furthermore, they differ in the innovative packaging: the egg cup is biodegradable, in pre-sown felt, it protects the eggs during transport and can also be used to germinate some seedlings such as marjoram, if placed in a pot with earth. The road traveled by Parisi has given way to a real hunt for the perfect egg.
Silvia Bambagini Olive
Another Made in Italy excellence are the eggs of Silvia Bambagini Oliva from Abruzzo who, together with her mother Marisa Colitti, produce in their 3 hectares of land. You have an organic farm of about 1500 Leghorn hens, fed on maize, bran and cereals supplemented with hemp seeds. The latter are very suitable for preventing cardiovascular diseases, reducing cholesterol levels and strengthening the immune system. In addition, the feed is periodically enriched with garlic, ginger, turmeric and other spices. The result is XL eggs, with a credible yellow yolk, thick egg white and a delicate and balanced taste.
St. Bartholomew
The agricultural cooperative of San Bartolomeo, completely organic, breeds in a closed supply chain Leghorn and Marans hens (they lay eggs with a very dark shell), in its 500 hectares of land. The diet based on organic grains (partly produced on the farm), give the eggs a sweet and savory taste, very round and warm. Here the hens are free to run around, sleep and lay their eggs whenever they want. Feed with grass, sprouts, mineral salts and grains without the administration of any chemical component.
La Fornace Farm
Le Camille eggs, produced by Alessandro Varesio on the La Fornace farm, are another example of the greatness of Leghorn hens, raised outdoors on mixed pastures (a meadow made up of at least 8-10 different types of grass). The yolk is a beautiful golden yellow, with a firm and compact egg white. Furthermore, they have the right fatness and consistency and are defined source of Omega-3, thanks to the linseed-based diet of the hens.
Pasture
Delicate, sweet and savory with herbaceous hints. These are the eggs produced by the farm of Sergio Pascolo, a former rabbit breeder. In 1997 he decided to change and breed Hy-Line breed hens, who live free in 72 m2 of alfalfa and medicinal plants and feed only with the best quality cereals from organic farming. During the day they listen to classical Venetian Baroque music and in the case of illnesses, they receive only homeopathic treatments, avoiding antibiotics or chemical components. The result is eggs with a resistant shell, with a beautiful yellow yolk and a thick and viscous albumen.
The Hague Gaia
Solo sustainable organic food for hens and chickens signed Aia Gaia: herbs, flour, bran and brood. Ciccio Sultano, together with the two agronomists, Carmelo Cilia and Paolo Moltisanti, raise Sicilian, bare-necked and Leghorn hens at the gates of Ragusa Ibla. The animals live in large open spaces, in about two and a half hectares of land, where they are free to scratch and graze.
accossato
Marco and Romina Accosato, third generation of the Piedmontese company in Monferrato, raise over 1500 Leghorn breed hens, fed with soy, bran and corn produced by the company. Spearhead is Piemunteisa, the egg obtained by integrating the diet with zero km milk. This makes the eggs much lighter, protein-rich and easier to work with, as it takes in three times as much air as a normal egg. The flavor is almond.
Cascina Mana
We are in the Cuneo area, where the Mana farm raises Leghorn hens in a closed cycle, fed with self-produced cereals and rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6. Furthermore, the preparation of the feed takes place without adding chemicals. The hens are free to roam around in the 4 meters of lawn that each one has at its disposal. The yolk is yellow tending to orange, very dense and full.
