Travel Around the World in Six Omelets

How to make an omelet — rolled, folded, stuffed, or souffléd — from cuisines around the globe.

Few words strike fear into the heart of a new cook like "French rolled omelet.”

It’s such a famously elemental dish that some restaurants use it to test a chef’s skill level. With only a few simple ingredients, there’s no room to hide mistakes, and a short lapse in attention can, in a matter of seconds, morph a custardy masterpiece of soft-set eggs into a spongy, acrid mass.

The French are not alone in putting the omelet on a pedestal. In every corner of the world, cooks rely on a combination of precise technique and close attention to coax eggs into tender, satisfying dishes. In Slovenia, to make a sweet Pohorje omelet, eggs are separated; whipped until light and fluffy; gently folded back together to form a rich, eggy batter; and then baked into a cloudlike dessert. In Thailand, the eggs for khai yat sai are swirled in a skillet until they set into a thin sheet, which is then folded around a ground-meat-and-basil filling. Yet another version of the omelet is the Denver omelet sandwich, which originated in the American West in the early 1900s. Historians claim that the dish—made with green bell pepper, ham, and onion and originally served between sliced bread—was created by transcontinental railroad workers or cattle drive cowboys. In the 1950s, the Denver omelet sandwich was said to be the most popular sandwich on menus across the country. (Somewhere along the way, the bread was dropped, and this omelet became an American diner staple.)

Related:30 Egg Recipes for Breakfast and Beyond

The omelets of the world vary wildly in flavor and texture from one country to the next, but they all share one defining characteristic: The eggs are kept separate from the filling. This is what sets omelets apart from other eggy dishes such as frittatas, where mix-ins like tomatoes, mushrooms, and bacon are stirred directly into the egg mixture before cooking. In an omelet, while the eggs can be whisked to the point of aeration or manipulated into different textures through the use of ingredients like flour and yogurt, the mix-ins are always rolled, folded, or stacked between the egg layers. In the recipes that follow, we pay homage to the omelet with six global variations (including a scrambled omelet riff) that elevate the humble egg.

Dan Bing (Taiwanese Egg Crêpes)

A popular Taiwanese breakfast, dan bing consists of shiro dashi–seasoned eggs wrapped around a crêpe. 2020 F&W Best New Chef Trigg Brown of Win Son in Brooklyn slices it into bite-size pieces and scatters it with sesame seeds and gochugaru for a tasty snack.

:Get the Recipe

Hangtown Fry

Often served as a flat, round omelet, this rolled version of the Hangtown fry from L.A. chef Timothy Hollingsworth plays up the luxurious ingredients. On top of the classic fried oysters and bacon, Hollingsworth adds to the embarrassment of riches with caviar, Parmesan, and beurre blanc.

:Get the Recipe

Pepper Boy Sandwich

As an ode to the Denver omelet, Sarah Schneider, owner of Egg Shop in NYC, transforms the diner staple into a mouthwatering breakfast sandwich. “The onion became the onion aioli because every good sandwich needs a sauce,” Schneider says. “We replaced the ham with crispy pepper bacon but kept the bell pepper, and voilà!”

:Get the Recipe

Khagineh (Stuffed Persian Sugar Omelet)

Filled with a crumble made from ground walnuts and Medjool dates, this pancake-like omelet from cookbook author Louisa Shafia gets an extra dose of sweetness from a drizzle of golden saffron syrup. It’s versatile and delicious, perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even dessert.

:Get the Recipe

Krapow Khai Yat Sai (Thai Stuffed Spicy Basil-Chicken Omelet)

In this eye-catching omelet from Jazz Singsanong, owner of Jitlada in Los Angeles, a thin blanket of folded egg is cut open to reveal a filling of ground chicken and Thai basil that’s been lightly caramelized and flavored with oyster sauce.

:Get the Recipe

Pohorje Omelet (Slovenian Sweet Omelet)

This sweet, chiffon cake–like omelet from Slovenian cookbook author Alma Rekić is stuffed with cranberry jam, whipped mascarpone, and berries. The fillings for this dish can vary, but the batter always relies on triplets: three eggs, three tablespoons of flour, and three tablespoons of sugar.

:Get the Recipe

For more Food & Wine news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Food & Wine.