This Fraternity Makes a 10,000-Egg Omelet in Belgium Every Year
Every summer for the last 22 years, members of the World Fraternity of Knights of the Giant Omelette gather in Belgium, with a single goal in mind: to make a giant omelet. The mission of this organization, which has been around since 1973, is a simple one. They just want to "prepare and savor, for free and with joy, in the giant omelet," according to their website. To do that, members of the Fraternity, wearing tall, white toques or plumed hats, meet in the town center to crack 10,000 eggs into giant bowls, whisk them all up, pour them into a pan that's four meters wide, and cook the whole thing over an open fire.
And this year was no different—even though millions of European eggs have been recalled or destroyed because they were contaminated with fipronil, a delousing pesticide that can be toxic to humans. This public health and food safety crisis has, to date, affected 18 countries, and the origins can actually be traced back to a Belgian farm.
That didn't stop these egg-loving knights from keeping on with tradition, though the so-called grandmaster of the World Fraternity of Knights of the Giant Omelette Robert Ansenne told BBC News, "We'll see how it goes, because you still hear a lot of rumors and people are saying they're a bit frightened."
But if the images from Malmedy, Belgium, the town in southeastern Belgium where the omelet was made, are any indication, the event was excellent. Members of the fraternity gathered to cook the omelet, stirring it with giant paddles that look like they belong on canoes.
They then served the omelet.
And people in the crowd sure did eat that giant omelet, contamination fears be damned, even though the plates were handed out by a human wearing a chicken costume.
Video of the making of this giant omelet, captured by the Associated Press, is nothing short of mesmerizing, as the yellow liquid slowly morphs into the largest plate of scrambled eggs you've ever seen.
No word on how to join the eggiest frat in the world, but if you can't make it to Malmedy, Belgium, next year, the organization does throw other giant omelet events across the globe, including Piguë, Argentina; Frejus, France; Gramby, Canada; and Abbeville, Louisiana, here in the United States.
