The eggs of the African penguin - formerly known as the Jackass because of its braying call - are two to three times the size of a hen's egg and quite a bit rounder. Traditionally they were boiled for 10-15 minutes and then enjoyed mashed on toast with salt and pepper.
The whites of the eggs were unusual in that they remained bluish, semi-translucent and jelly-like, no matter how long you boiled them. They did taste fishy, but in a mild and very appealing way.
Years ago, reminiscing with an elderly gentlemen about the days of yore, he told me that he still missed penguin eggs, but that he'd found a substitute. Eagerly I leant forward...
"You take a duck's egg," he explained. "Hard boil it and then pour the oil from a tin of sardines onto it and mash."
"Come close?" I wanted to know.
His body language confirmed my worst fear...