Egg (food) - Anatomy and Characteristics

Anatomy and Characteristics

The shape of an egg resembles a prolate spheroid with one end larger than the other, with cylindrical symmetry along the long axis.

An egg is surrounded by a thin, hard shell. Inside, the egg yolk is suspended in the egg white by one or two spiral bands of tissue called the chalazae (from the Greek word χάλαζα, meaning hailstone or hard lump).