变蛋

noun

preserved egg; century egg; pine-patterned egg

A Chinese delicacy made by preserving duck, chicken, or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls for several weeks to months. The yolk becomes dark green to grey with a creamy consistency and the white becomes a dark brown, translucent jelly with a pattern resembling pine branches, hence the name '松花蛋' (pine-patterned egg). The term '变蛋' is common in northern Chinese dialects.