Let's start with a confession: I never liked sunny-side-up eggs, even when I ate chicken eggs. In fact, I might have found them a bit repulsive back then, especially the yolk. On the other hand, an omelet was the last non-vegan dish I gave up before becoming vegan. An omelet sandwich was always my go-to as a student with little money.
Naturally, I never understood the craze for vegan products that mimic items like schnitzel or shawarma, and certainly not eggs. But today, I realize some people struggle to give them up and want to feel a bit like they used to—part of the crowd, just without eating it.
Armed with this understanding, I headed to the "Vegan Wednesday" market at Dizengoff Center. Held every Wednesday from 12:00 to 20:00 over the past year, it features stalls offering Iraqi food, dishes from the J17 restaurant, and desserts from Simonchu. Oh, and now, sunny-side-up eggs.
Yo Egg has joined the tasty fair and will be part of it for the coming weeks, with the world's first sunny-side-up egg made entirely from plants.
It's sold at the Vegan Wok stall as a topping for a vegan pad krapow (naturally), but also in new packages to take home. The launch also introduced a new hit: a challah with guacamole spread, green onion, and a "sunny-side-up egg" on top. 25 shekels, excluding the queue.
Chen and Iris Gosler, who run the stall, have been using this egg for a while in the dishes they prepare, and have recently become franchisees of the product from the Israeli food-tech company Yo Egg. The "Yo" is named after Yosefa Ben Cohen, who invented the egg with her husband, Nissim Ben Cohen, the company's COO.
Years ago, the couple launched a "poached egg" that separated the yolk and egg white, requiring assembly in the pan. After three years of research and development—and an investment of 30 million shekels—this egg was born, a real breakthrough, with a runny yolk and a texture and taste almost identical to the original egg.
"The egg white is mainly chickpea protein," Gosler explained, "and the yolk is soy protein with turmeric and seaweed that help stabilize it, meaning no harmful additives." Each egg weighs about 55 grams and contains around 1.7 grams of protein—not a lot for protein consumers but a good start, with zero cholesterol, saturated fat, or contaminants often found in animal products (not to mention the ethical aspect, the core of the matter).
The factory in Israel produces thousands of eggs daily and plans to increase production to meet the demand—and the demand is evident. I noticed a rush at the stall and the freezer next to it, smoothly integrating into some Shufersal branches.
The price, by the way, is not low (NIS 35 for a four-pack with Indian salt enhancing flavors), but unfortunately, vegans are used to their products being significantly more expensive. Supply and demand, it seems, in a world beginning to separate egg from chicken.