Of Boat Eggs, and Other Memories

By Hklbrries

Most eggs consumed in Alaska today are "air fresh," meaning they are shipped by airplanes, not by trucks or boats.

So simple, so full of promise, so well-packaged, the egg is a classic of evolutionary design, a symbol of fertility and a kitchen magician. Behind the magic lies the fact that the two major parts of an egg - the white and yolk - can be separated. Whipped into a froth of bubbles, the white maintains its volume even when baked, resulting in souffles, meringues, chiffons, angel food cakes and other delicacies. The yolk enriches while it thickens, making delectable sauces, custards, quiches, puddings and eclairs.

Indigenous Alaskans gathered eggs from nesting birds, while Gold Rushers either brought powdered eggs as part of their grub stake, or relied on fresh eggs imported from Seattle. The latter became known as "boat eggs." And because boat eggs might be weeks away from the hen house, the term was generally one of suspicion.

Archie Hunter, a trader for the Hudson's Bay Co. in the 1920s, notes how cooks of his day always cracked eggs over a separate bowl or clean teacup - in order not to ruin the flapjack batter with a rotten one.

"When I think of housewives complaining that store eggs are not entirely fresh, I wish they could have lived with the eggs that were supplied to us. They were packed in salt, loaded [on the ship] in early July, and it might be well on into August before we started to use them... As the moisture content in the salt dried out, the salt itself developed a consistency akin to cement, and each egg had to be carefully chipped out of its little nest before being used."

A sumptuous meal for the stampeder who came to town from a winter of beans at his diggings was unlimited white bread, milk, fruit and eggs.

Fortunately, fresh eggs now are available to most Alaskans.

Recipe in collection associated with this article: Baked Eggs.

Ingredients

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Preparation

Step 1

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