A beguiling tour in a bite-sized book, this mix of anecdotes, recipes and cultural history journeys through the lore of the most versatile of foods - the egg.

According to Hindu scripture, the world began as an egg, laid by a swan floating on the waters of chaos. Lying for a year, the egg split into silver and gold halves: the silver became the earth; the gold, the sky. Despite its diminutive size and unobtrusive appearance, cultures throughout history have found in the egg an extraordinary array of meanings: used for curing the evil eye by Mayans, as protection against lightning in Greece, and to signify rebirth in the Easter egg. Perhaps the most fabulous eggs ever are those made by the House of Faberge for the Russian royal family, and other luminously wealthy clients. Diane Toops offers a fascinating tour through egg history and lore; first discussing its numerous varieties and the types favoured around the world, and then giving a history of its uses from earliest history until the present day.