Swedish Egg Coffee

Adding egg to coffee allowed Scandinavian immigrants in the Midwest to make coffee without filters or percolators.

In the mid-1800s, Scandinavian immigrants settling in the Midwest had no filters, no percolators, and no drip coffee makers to aid their quest for a cup of coffee. Instead, they used eggs to boil a smooth, grit-free cup. Mixing the coffee grounds with egg — sometimes with the shell and all — creates a protein-packed raft that floats when the coffee’s done boiling. Adding cold water sinks the raft of ground coffee, giving a clean final pour with no filter necessary. I’m not a coffee drinker, but for those of you who are, I’m curious: would you drink an egg coffee? (Image credit: K. Tomlinson; via Atlas Obscura; submitted by Richard B.)

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.