Peafowl are interesting birds. It’s the males or peacocks as they’re called that are the most popular, as they’re the ones that shake out those impressive feather displays.
Female peafowl, which are called peahens, are more bland-looking and don’t have such colorful tails - but like all birds, they lay eggs.
Peahen eggs are fairly rare, especially in culinary use, but they are edible. In fact, they are considered quite a delicacy in some parts of the world.
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Can You Eat Peahen Eggs?
You can eat peahen eggs, yes.
Apart from being much larger than chicken eggs, there isn’t a lot of difference between peafowl and chicken eggs in terms of eating them.
They look the same when cracked open, they cook the same, and you can use them to make all the same types of eggs; sunny side up, hard-boiled, scrambled, omelets, etc.
What I will say is when making an omelet, you usually only need one peahen egg because they’re that big!
Related - Here‘s how big peafowl eggs are.
Are Peafowl Eggs Healthier Than Chicken Eggs?
I’ve done some research into whether or not peafowl eggs are more nutritious than chicken eggs.
It’s not an easy thing to compare as there are quite a few variables to take into account, such as the quality of the eggs foremost.
It’s no secret that pastured eggs and eggs from chickens that are free-range are more nutritious than eggs from battery or caged hens, for example.
That said, I was able to find one detailed study that compared the quality and nutritional components of eggs from blue peafowl vs Jingbai hens.
This study concluded that blue peafowl eggs, “possessed more advantages in nutrition owing to its higher carbohydrate and protein but lower fat and cholesterol, richer mineral element (Zn, Se, Mn, and P), higher VC, reasonable proportion of amino acids.”
It went on to say that compared to chicken eggs, blue peafowl eggs also had, “better qualities including egg-weight, eggshell thickness, egg-shape index, egg yolk index and Haugh unit.”
The bottom line? Peahen eggs are different from chicken eggs nutritionally, and from what I can see they’re much better for us.
What Do Peahen Eggs Taste Like?
Asking what any food tastes like is always one of those difficult-to-answer questions as taste can be quite subjective.
I can do my best though…
To me, peahen eggs taste a lot like chicken eggs, (so you need to know what chicken eggs taste like), but there is certainly something that helps you tell them apart.
I’ve heard other people describe peahen eggs as tasting more ‘gamey’, which makes sense as peafowl are game birds.
The words that come to mind for me are ‘rich’ tasting, a bit like a duck egg. As well as having a ‘stronger’ egg taste (if that makes sense at all).
You really have to try a peahen egg to get a good understanding of what they taste like. I know how frustrating it is to hear that, but the same can be said for most foods.
How Much to Peafowl Eggs Cost?
If you’re looking online for peahen eggs, there are two types;
Hatching Eggs
Hatching eggs are eggs that have been fertilized. You can eat them if you want to, being fertilized makes no difference to whether or not eggs can be eaten.
They are more expensive, however, so I wouldn’t recommend buying hatching eggs if you want to eat the eggs.
If you do want to hatch and raise peafowl, I recommend checking out Cackle Hatchery. Cackle Hatchery is where I order all of my online poultry-related stuff like hatching eggs.
At the time of writing this, I could see they were selling peafowl hatching eggs starting at $59/ea, assorted peafowl chicks, and various types and colors of peafowls.
Click here to see the latest prices and availability of peafowl hatching eggs at Cackle Hatchery!
Eating Eggs
If you want to buy peahen eggs to eat, then your best option is probably going to be a local farmers market or some other local means.
You can also find them online, I was able to find some for sale at an online exotic meat market site here for around $70. But that’s pretty expensive.
I’ve not used that site before, however, so I’m always hesitant to recommend sites/stores I’ve never used. Do so at your own risk.
Related - A look at how often peafowl lays eggs.
Why Don’t We Eat More Peafowl Eggs?
When you go out to a restaurant, it’s not like you see peahen eggs on the menu very often - if at all - is it?
There are a few reasons for this:
Cost - The biggest reason is cost. Peahen eggs are expensive, so restaurants are not going to keep some in stock with the risk that they will not be eaten.
Demand - It’s economics, supply and demand have a huge impact on cost. There just isn’t the demand for peafowl eggs that makes them readily available and helps to reduce the cost.
Size - I’ve made a big deal about peahen eggs being so big, this isn’t always a good thing, however. Sometimes one peahen egg is too much for one person.
In Summary
Peahen eggs are edible, they’re really not much different from chicken eggs apart from the fact that they’re so much larger.
If you do get the chance to try a peahen egg, I recommend doing so. They’re delicious, packed full of good nutrition, and quite the delicacy in some parts of the world.
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Image credits - Photo by Lenstravelier on Unsplash
