Fancy a wee snack? ‘Urine eggs’ a Chinese delicacy

The smell of spring is finally in the air, which for one city in East China’s Zhejiang Province always comes with a hint of eggs and urine.

For hundreds of years, Dongyang has been famous for a curious seasonal snack Tongzi Dan, or hardboiled eggs soaked in the pee of small boys.

Vendors still line the streets of tourist attraction Hengdian World Studios, where pots of the snack boil for tourists eager for a taste.

“We boil urine-soaked eggs every year to welcome the spring,” explained Lu Mei, a manager at the studios. “We hope to inform more people about our special tradition.”

The time-honored snack involves soaking the eggs in urine overnight. The next day, the eggs are boiled, cracked and returned to a slow simmer with seasonings – and extra urine.

As advised by traditional Chinese medical texts, the main ingredient is collected from boys under eight years old, and often on the spot. Vendors leave several buckets out where small boys can relieve themselves and collect urine for cooking, a Kankan News video clip shows.

The pungent smell did little to discourage curious tourists.

“Their flavor is softer than that of eggs boiled in tea. Tastes good, actually,” said tourist Fan Weifeng.

Officially listed an intangible cultural heritage in 2008, locals say the eggs boast medicinal properties, such as increased blood circulation and reducing “internal heat.”

This is echoed in the ancient Chinese medical text Compendium of Materia Medica, which states that the urine of young boys can relieve headaches.

Some modern medical professionals disagree. “Drinking urine is consuming your own waste,” said Huang Jian, a nephrologist (kidney doctor) at Jinhua Central Hospital. “I would advise against eating them.”

Many on social media either expressed shock or simply took the piss.“Can these eggs even pass food safety standards?” commented Weibo user “Jiangbiancao.”