A video of an egg being cracked has now been viewed nearly 19 million times on Instagram.
It’s unlikely that cracking a common chicken egg would inspire such popularity — videos of that being done are a dime a dozen.
Emu eggs, though, aren’t something you see every day, and Food Network followers have had their curiosity piqued by their eggs.
Fascinating: Food Network said its most popular video of 2017 was of an emu egg (seen compared to a chicken egg) being cracked
Tough exterior: The egg had to be cracked with a knife, which was hit against the shell several times
Yikes: Viewers have found the video both satisfying and disturbing due to the large yolk
The original video was shared on Food Network’s Instagram page on January 8, 2017 with the caption: ‘Cracking dragon, er, emu eggs in Food Network Kitchen.’
The clip shows the size of an emu egg as compared to a chicken egg, before the emu egg is cracked and emptied out into a glass bowl.
Since it was posted, it’s been viewed nearly 11 million times, making it Food Network’s most watched video of the year. On December 31, they shared it again to celebrate the top status, and the reposted version garnered another 8 million views.
The video has certainly inspired strong reactions in people, who find it satisfying, disgusting, and impressive.
Popular: The original video was viewed nearly 11 million times. When it was reposted in December, it earned another 8 million views
Something different: According to one NYC chef, emu eggs have a rich taste and a very thick texture
‘Omg… I instantly got a bad taste in my mouth,’ wrote one. ‘This makes me want to die,’ another wrote dramatically.
Native to Australia, emus are the second-largest bird in the world after ostrich — and they also lay the second-largest eggs.
Each one weighs about two pounds and is the size of a person’s hand, and some say it looks like a large avocado at first glance.
According to the Huffington Post, they’re blue-green in color for camouflage purposes, since emus lay their eggs in grass.
And yes, just like chicken eggs (and duck, quail, turkey, pheasant, and ostrich eggs), they can be eaten — but it’ll cost you.
For scale: Emu eggs are the second-biggest eggs in the world, after ostrich eggs
Massive: Native to Australia, emus are also the second -largest bird in the world after ostrich
Emu eggs can sometimes be found at specialty stores, farmer’s markets, and even occasionally Whole Foods, where they’ve been seen on sale for $29.99 to $34.99 each.
It’s rare to find them on a menu, and they were briefly offered at the New York restaurant Louro, which shuttered in 2015.
Louro’s chef, Dave Santos, told AM New York about their taste and consistency in 2014.
‘Emu is the richest tasting of all the edible bird eggs,’ he said. ‘The white is almost like glue, it’s so thick. The yoke is actually a pale yellow but it’s so thick. When you run your fork through a yoke and it starts to ooze out? Emu eggs aren’t like that. You break the yoke open and it just sits there. It’s like silly putty.’