Street vendors in Dongyang, China, are once again cooking up an unusual springtime snack that's been popular among locals for centuries: "virgin boy eggs," made with the urine of local primary school boys, preferably under the age of 10.
Many Dongyang residents believe that the eggs -- which are boiled in urine and then soaked in the stuff for up to a day --have remarkable health properties, including increased energy and resistance to heat stroke.
A virgin boy egg fetches around 24 cents at market, more than twice the price of a urine-free egg.
The not-so-secret ingredient in the traditional snack is collected in basins and buckets from primary school toilets after school hours. It's not just vendors clamoring for the stuff, either -- some residents gather it themselves so they can prepare the delicacy at home.
Although the eggs have been listed as an "intangible cultural heritage" by the local government, Chinese medical experts have mixed opinions about their health benefits, with some warning about the sanitary issues surrounding cooking with urine.
