# What do you suppose "euchred eggs" are? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186 "2006-08-18T03:00:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/1 "2006-08-18T03:00:13Z")
I was just watching a History Channel program tonight on American condiments, and during one segment on Heinz Ketchup, they showed an old billboard or something, with Heinz advertising his goodies. Among the usual suspects of pickles and ketchup, I spotted “euchred eggs.” A Google search on “euchred eggs” (with quotes) results, surprisingly, in only one hit: [url=“[http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5963832946&category=486#ebayphotohosting](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5963832946&category=486#ebayphotohosting)”]this eBay item for a toy Heinz boxcar advertising “pickles, euchred eggs, onions, etc.” My guess would be they’re some type of pickled egg, but I find it interesting that not a single Google result pops up outside this one. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/2 "2006-08-18T03:20:35Z")
Hmm. Apart from the meaning specific to the card game, the only definition for “euchre” as a verb in my dictionary is “To defeat; to get the better of; to outplay; to outwit.” So apparently we’re looking for a recipe for defeated eggs. I’ve heard of _beaten_ eggs, but… ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/3 "2006-08-18T03:29:39Z")
I believe I saw it in reference to being drunk on the search I did, so maybe it is pickled? Boiled is also a possibility, since it can mean “set” too. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/4 "2006-08-18T03:48:35Z")
Gosh, even my great-grandmother’s _Mary Margaret McBride Encyclopedia of Cooking_ doesn’t cover it. I think an email to Heinz is in order. … In fact, I just emailed them through their website. The curiosity is killing me! I will let you know as soon as I hear anything from them. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/5 "2006-08-18T04:08:09Z")
Lemme fix that link. Anyhow, from the picture it looks like “euchred eggs” are a subset of “pickles.” (The sign reads “-Pickles-,” looking like a column header, with “euchred eggs, onions, etc.” listed below). So I assume pickled would be right, although I’m curious about the origins of the term itself. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/6 "2006-08-18T04:26:17Z")
It’s an egg with the two through eight removed. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2006, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/7 "2006-08-19T14:22:52Z")
Bump for the weekend. Anybody? I’m suprised that a product once sold by Heinz has only one hit on the entirety of the internet. Is Heinz the only person to use this term? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2006, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/8 "2006-08-19T14:29:27Z")
Sorry, no email reply yet. (Hmm, not even an auto “We got your email and we’re looking into it” email. Perhaps there’s a problem.) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/9 "2006-08-19T14:46:41Z")
Just wondering: could the source have anything to do with “eucharist” maybe? Easter eggs Communion eggs Priest eggs Laity eggs – I can picture it now: Laity laying eggs for the eucharist Lay, laity, lay ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/10 "2006-08-19T15:54:32Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] Among the usual suspects of pickles and ketchup, I spotted “euchred eggs.” [/QUOTE] Not that this helps at all, but I think you actually saw [“euchred figs.”](http://www.westerfield.biz/3906.htm) If you google “euchred figs,” you turn up a page that speculates as follows: > [@](#): > > Since “euchre” means to best or surpass, I take it that this was a slangy way for Heinz to assert that they had managed to outclass natural figs by preserving them in syrup. Another example of why transient jargon is a poor stylistic investment for the long haul. (I’d link to the page, but I can’t get it to load for whatever reason.) Hope that helps. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/11 "2006-08-20T04:44:13Z")
[QUOTE=Campion] Not that this helps at all, but I think you actually saw [“euchred figs.”](http://www.westerfield.biz/3906.htm) If you google “euchred figs,” you turn up a page that speculates as follows: (I’d link to the page, but I can’t get it to load for whatever reason.) Hope that helps. [/QUOTE] No, I saw “euchred eggs.” Check the picture in the link I provided. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/12 "2006-08-20T04:48:14Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] No, I saw “euchred eggs.” Check the picture in the link I provided. [/QUOTE] :smack: Wait. The picture in my link does in fact say “euchred figs.” But I swear that the History Channel had “euchred eggs.” I rewound it on the DVR and my SO also saw “euchred eggs.” But I suppose it could have been the font and it might have read “euchred figs.” So, I suspect you may be right. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/13 "2006-08-20T05:23:44Z")
But you realize that “euchered eggs,” with one hit, is a Googlewack, right? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/14 "2006-08-20T14:00:51Z")
[QUOTE=Shoshana] But you realize that “euchered eggs,” with one hit, is a Googlewack, right? [/QUOTE] Not when it’s in quotes, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/15 "2006-08-20T14:33:32Z")
My first thought when I saw the thread title was “reddened eggs” (well, now figs), because I could swear that I’ve seen/heard “euchre” used to mean a reddish color. And that would make sense if the recipe had something to do with ketchup. But, I can’t seem to find any source to corroborate my feeling that “euchre” could have something to do with the color red: both online dictionaries I just consulted give the definition as being either the card game or “To deceive by sly or underhand means; cheat.” Now I’m wondering why I’m associating “euchre” with “red” … this thread might send me into therapy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/16 "2006-08-20T14:37:58Z")
[QUOTE=Misnomer] My first thought when I saw the thread title was “reddened eggs” (well, now figs), because I could swear that I’ve seen/heard “euchre” used to mean a reddish color. And that would make sense if the recipe had something to do with ketchup. But, I can’t seem to find any source to corroborate my feeling that “euchre” could have something to do with the color red: both online dictionaries I just consulted give the definition as being either the card game or “To deceive by sly or underhand means; cheat.” Now I’m wondering why I’m associating “euchre” with “red” … this thread might send me into therapy. 😉 [/QUOTE] Could that be Ochre? Or Raw Umber? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/17 "2006-08-20T15:03:02Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Could that be Ochre? Or Raw Umber? [/QUOTE] THAT’S it! :smack: Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![cstamets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/18 "2006-08-20T16:16:43Z")
Since everything else on the toy box car is pickeled, I would assume the figs are, too. I did find [this](http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:15DgvvJ5jUYJ:listserv.dom.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe%3FA2%3Dind0009%26L%3Dstumpers-l%26T%3D0%26P%3D111806+euchred+fig&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1) one reference where someone familiar with pickled figs says euchred figs look like the same thing. I also found references to euchred crab apples and euchred plums which also indicated pickling. Which made me wonder if “euchring” is a specific type of pickling. Googling euchring and pickling together turned up a bunch of word lists for crossword puzzles, and one reference to “curing” that mentioned both ecuhring and pickling, but not in any connecting sort of way. So I stopped there. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/19 "2006-08-21T21:05:39Z")
HEY! I got a reply from Heinz today! > [@](#): > > Thank you for visiting our web site. > > I believe you mean Heinz Euchred Figs. Euchred Figs were produced by Heinz from 1908 to 1912. They were unique in that the flavor of the figs was somewhat sour. The brine was similar to that used on dill pickles today. This product was popular in England, but was not received very well in the United States. They were only produced for a short period of time by the Heinz Company. To our knowledge no food company is currently marketing euchred figs. > > Thanks again for contacting us. We appreciate your interest. So, now we know. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186/20 "2006-08-21T21:31:38Z")
Next stop: Homemade Euchered Fig recipes? Who’s got a turn-of-the-last century British cookbook? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-suppose-euchred-eggs-are/369186.md?page=2)