Can you eat century egg while pregnant?
Check firstOnly if it is cooked through. A century egg is cured in an alkaline mix of ash, salt and lime rather than heated, so cold slices are an uncooked egg, and uncooked egg carries a Salmonella risk in pregnancy.
Why
The dark amber jelly and the gray-green yolk come from weeks in an alkaline cure, not from a pan or a pot. That is the whole point to grasp: nothing about a century egg involves heat, so despite looking and feeling cooked it has never reached a temperature that kills Salmonella. The NHS lists raw and partially cooked eggs among the foods to avoid in pregnancy, and FoodSafety.gov tells pregnant women to eat eggs only when they are cooked until firm, with egg dishes brought to 160°F. So the dish decides the answer. Simmered into congee or steamed into a savory custard until it is piping hot throughout, a century egg is fine. Sliced cold with pickled ginger, laid on chilled tofu for pidan tofu, or tucked into a bun that is only warmed, it is not.
Safer alternatives
- Century egg simmered into congee until the whole bowl is steaming hot
- Chinese steamed egg custard, cooked until firm and set
- Salted duck egg, boiled or steamed through, mashed into rice
- Marbled tea eggs, hard-boiled then simmered in the tea and soy braise
Sources
- NHS https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/
- FoodSafety.gov https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-internal-temperatures
Every verdict follows our sourcing methodology: official health guidelines only, most cautious position when they differ.
Last reviewed by the pregAI editorial team.
Frequently asked questions
Can I eat century egg in congee?
Yes, as long as it is stirred in and simmered so the whole bowl is steaming hot, which takes the egg past the temperature that kills Salmonella. Slices dropped on top as a garnish at the very end do not get hot enough. Give it a few minutes in the pot rather than the bowl.
What about pidan tofu, century egg with cold tofu?
Skip that one while you are pregnant. It is a cold dish with no cooking step at any point, so the egg goes in exactly as cured. A steamed egg custard made with century egg gives you the same deep flavor, hot.
It looks cooked, so is a century egg really raw?
The firm texture and dark color come from the alkaline cure changing the proteins, not from heat. Chemically it is transformed, but no part of it has ever been brought to a safe temperature, so treat it the way you would treat a raw egg. Cook it into a hot dish and the question goes away.
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