Blood Spots in Eggs

An egg that contains a blood spot may not be eaten according to Jewish dietary laws.

Biblical dietary laws prohibit the consumption of blood (Lev. 7:26-27; Lev. 17:10-14). The Torah explains that people should not consume blood because blood contains the life of the animal. This prohibition applies to the blood of mammals and birds, but not to the blood of fish.

The USDA requires that eggs be passed along a high-tech illuminating conveyer belt that can find and discard eggs with blood spots. However, this test is not fool-proof.

So when using eggs in kosher cooking, the eggs should be inspected for blood spots. Breaking an egg into a glass is the best way to see if there is a blood spot. Breaking an egg into a glass before adding it to a mixture is also the best way to avoid contaminating a mixture by accidentally adding a non-kosher egg to it.