Traditionally, yes, eggnog included raw eggs. However, some countries today, such as the United States, severely restrict the use of raw egg in products, due to health concerns; thus, most commercial eggnog does not include raw eggs. (The FDA actually limits the egg yolk solids in eggnog to less than 1%.) You can, however, buy pasteurized eggs first before making your own eggnog (or partially cook the raw egg in milk to make a custard), but eggnog connoisseurs tend to frown upon this as it supposedly alters the flavor and consistency of the final product.
As to what typical ingredients are included in eggnog, these are: milk; cream; sugar; some sort of an alcohol like rum, brandy, vodka, cognac, or whiskey; whipped eggs; and sometimes nutmeg, cinnamon, or other spices. While today eggnog you buy in the store often excludes the alcoholic ingredient, traditionally this was always included and was half the point of eggnog.
Now you might be wondering where eggnog actually came from? I mean, who sat there and thought to themselves, “You know what would be good? Mixing raw excretions from a cow’s udder and a chicken’s cloaca with some sugar, alcohol, and spices.” It isn’t known exactly who was the first to do this, but eggnog seems to have originated in Europe around the 17th century, very possibly in England.
It was generally only drunk by the extremely wealthy due to the need for eggs and milk which were a rarity for commoners in Europe at the time. Before eggnog, it was fairly common to mix milk with wine and other alcohol to make various forms of milk punches, including possibly the direct ancestor of eggnog, “posset”, which was a drink served hot that included milk and eggs mixed with wine or beer.
Sometime around the 18th century, eggnog made its way to the Americas, where its popularity was much more widespread due to more people having direct access to cows and chickens (more commoners owned farms). As brandy, the alcoholic ingredient of choice in England, was somewhat expensive to get in the Americas from heavy taxing and lack of availability, the much cheaper and readily available rum became a popular substitute there. This later changed to whiskey and bourbon. George Washington himself had his own little recipe for eggnog which included not just rum, but sherry and whiskey too.
As to the name of “eggnog” the origins are somewhat disputed, but obviously the first part comes from the egg ingredient. The origin of the second “nog” part is slightly murkier. It possibly derives from the Middle English word “noggin”, which originally referred to a small wooden mug and later any small container used to serve strong alcoholic beverages. “Noggin” may or may not have derived from “nog”, referring to a certain type of beer brewed in East Anglia in the 17th century that had a high percentage of alcohol content compared to most beers.
A much less plausible theory often put forth as to the origin of the name “eggnog” is that it comes from the Americas and was from “Egg ‘n Grog”, referring to the rum ingredient in the Americas, being morphed to “eggnog”.
Whatever the case, the word “eggnog” started popping up around the very early 19th century on both sides of the pond, though the British still sometimes called it “Egg Flip”, referring to the process of mixing the ingredients
If you purchase eggnog from your local grocery store, the eggnog has been prepared with pasteurized eggs. You do not need to cook it.
It was generally only drunk by the extremely wealthy due to the need for eggs and milk which were a rarity for commoners in Europe at the time. Before eggnog, it was fairly common to mix milk with wine and other alcohol to make various forms of milk punches, including possibly the direct ancestor of eggnog, “posset”, which was a drink served hot that included milk and eggs mixed with wine or beer.
As to what typical ingredients are included in eggnog, these are: milk; cream; sugar; some sort of an alcohol like rum, brandy, vodka, cognac, or whiskey; whipped eggs; and sometimes nutmeg, cinnamon, or other spices. While today eggnog you buy in the store often excludes the alcoholic ingredient, traditionally this was always included and was half the point of eggnog.
Sometime around the 18th century, eggnog made its way to the Americas, where its popularity was much more widespread due to more people having direct access to cows and chickens (more commoners owned farms). As brandy, the alcoholic ingredient of choice in England, was somewhat expensive to get in the Americas from heavy taxing and lack of availability, the much cheaper and readily available rum became a popular substitute there. This later changed to whiskey and bourbon. George Washington himself had his own little recipe for eggnog which included not just rum, but sherry and whiskey too.
Now you might be wondering where eggnog actually came from? I mean, who sat there and thought to themselves, “You know what would be good? Mixing raw excretions from a cow’s udder and a chicken’s cloaca with some sugar, alcohol, and spices.” It isn’t known exactly who was the first to do this, but eggnog seems to have originated in Europe around the 17th century, very possibly in England.
Whatever the case, the word “eggnog” started popping up around the very early 19th century on both sides of the pond, though the British still sometimes called it “Egg Flip”, referring to the process of mixing the ingredients
“It’s amazing,” Green said. “It feels like the culmination of a huge creative effort, with so many people and partners across campus pitching in to help make it become a reality. So that, to me, is what’s so exciting about it.”
Small Island Big Song, a group of musicians from Island Nations across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, will spend this week in residence with NC State LIVE, and have various events planned across campus to help educate the NC State community about the impacts of climate change on the world’s oceans.
“I think of science and art as cousins. They’re both rooted in curiosity and a quest for understanding the world,” Green said. “They help explain and make sense of the world around us.. Artists do that, and these artists in particular do that through their music and traditional cultural forms. Scientists do that through their research. This is a chance for those two disciplines to collide. I think NC State in general is such a fertile ground for that to happen. We have such creative thinkers here and scientists who are interested in sharing their research in compelling ways. There’s a real energy around science and arts right now here on campus. It’s an exciting time.”
Taiwanese theater producer BaoBao Chen and Australian music producer Tim Cole visited artists from 16 different island nations over the course of eight years to record songs with their guidance.
“You can tell from the list of events that this group of artists and their mission has been a catalyst for our university, because we have so many different groups working on climate issues, and so many students who are curious about climate science and sustainability,” Green said. “So artists like this really get people excited on campus.”
AGE your raw egg eggnog
FAQ
Does eggnog actually have eggs in it?
Does eggnog not contain eggs?
Can kids drink eggnog?
Are there other nogs besides egg?
Are eggnog eggs cooked?
The eggs aren’t cooked, are they? Actually, they are. “If you’re buying eggnog at the store, the beverage has likely been pasteurized,” says Ben Chapman, a food safety expert and researcher at NC State.
Do eggs contain iron?
The egg is not the main source of iron, but it contains it in its heme form, which has a higher percentage of absorption. Each 100-gram of egg has approximately 1. 2 mg of iron.
Is eggnog a real thing?
At its core, eggnog is an emulsion of milk and/or cream, sugar, and, yes, eggs. Unlike in an egg cream —a similar old-timey drink that actually gets its name from the foamy, whipped egg white-like texture achieved by mixing seltzer and dairy fat—the “egg” in eggnog is very, very real.
How many eggs are in eggnog?
So real that our recipe for eggnog calls for a whopping six eggs, which are mixed vigorously with whole milk, heavy cream, and sugar into an extremely indulgent, extra-rich drink that’s reminiscent, as Al Culliton once wrote, of “melted ice cream mixed with booze.” Recipe developer Amiel Stanek adds a full two cups of dark rum to his recipe.