That is not “direct poison”. It’s the egg’s membrane. In fact, there are 2 membranes - one that is attached to the inside of the shell and one wrapped around the egg white. It offers additional protection against microbial attack in case there is a crack in the shell. Fun fact: it’s not only edible, it’s made of collagen, and many collagen supplements are made from this membrane. Even more fun fact: in very fresh eggs, the membrane sticks to the egg white and is harder to remove. As the egg gets older, the membrane is easier to remove from the boiled egg. The egg is one of nature’s most accomplished works. A single, self-contained marvel, packed with every protein the body craves, brimming with vitamins and fats laid down to nourish new life. And yet, in the modern poultry farming context, IT IS PURELY VEGETARIAN because an unfertilised egg hosts no life, just the raw material to nourish it. Cracked into a hot pan, it firms into culinary gold. Whipped, it rises into airy clouds. Coddled, poached, folded into the silkiest of custards, or scrambled into bhurji, it bends endlessly to the cook’s will. Few things on this Earth give so generously, in so many guises. This, surely, is perfection in miniature. The greatest single ingredient in the kitchen.