Can You Eat Snake Eggs?

Humans consume a wide variety of eggs, the most common being chicken eggs. Other eggs include the ones derived from emus, quail, ducks and even fish (caviar). It is worth noting that caviar is counted among the most expensive food in the world.

But, what about snake eggs? Are snake eggs even edible? Do snake eggs have venom? Well, let’s delve deeper to find out if you can eat snake eggs.

Edible, but ‘conditions apply’

A simple answer would be ‘Yes’; snake eggs can be consumed by humans. However, they need to be cooked properly. If you consume partially cooked snake eggs, it might lead to gastrointestinal distress. Another issue is that the taste of snake eggs may not appeal to everyone. Its taste and flavors are different, as compared to chicken eggs that we normally eat. The taste is a bit like fish, which not everyone may be used to.

Another thing to consider when eating snake eggs is that they need to be absolutely fresh. Embryonic development in snake eggs starts very fast. So, if the eggs are not fresh, they may have pieces of flesh like pulp inside it. That would be quite unpalatable.

So, if it’s an emergency or if you are just trying to gain some new experiences, you can surely eat snake eggs when properly cooked. Just like other eggs, snake eggs are loaded with nutrients such as high quality protein and vitamins.

Do snake eggs have venom?

Eggs of venomous snakes have the required materials to create venom as the embryo develops. However, when you eat it in egg stage, the venom may not have fully developed. Venom is essentially a mix of various types of proteins. It will be digested by your body just like any other protein. So, there is very little risk of getting poisoned from eating snake eggs.

Should you eat snake eggs?

Globally, humans have evolved to adjust their diet in accordance with the type of food available locally. This is why eating habits of people are so diverse across the globe. Talking about snakes, people in many cultures have snake and snake eggs as part of their diet. Snake meat is usually more preferred than snake eggs. If you visit countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and China, you can find various types of dishes made from snakes. Some of these are even considered to have medicinal properties.

From an environmental perspective, it is generally not recommended to eat snake eggs. That’s because several of the snake species are in the endangered list. Your actions can impact their survival. We think chicken eggs would be far safer and tastier than snake eggs.