Human consumption of duck eggs varies worldwide. Duck eggs are consumed daily in Asia -- preserved eggs are considered a delicacy in some Asian cultures. A June 2009 article posted on Agricultural Business Week's website cites Asia as the global leader in duck production.
Europeans also eat duck eggs. Duck eggs are increasingly popular in the western United States due to the area's proximity to Asian markets, according to Clove Garden.com. Ounce-to-ounce, duck eggs are equivalent to chicken eggs in nutritional value. However, the total nutrition of a duck egg is higher due to its larger size.
Features
Omlet.us notes that duck eggs are about 30 percent larger than chicken eggs, which means that the whites and yolks of duck eggs are also bigger, adding to their nutritional value. Duck egg shells are off-white in color and harder to crack than chicken egg shells. You may want to try duck eggs for baking and cooking -- their body and texture retains moisture better than chicken eggs.
Nutrition Basics
A typical duck egg weighs about 70 g and has nearly 130 calories. About 67 percent of the calories in a duck egg come from fat. One cooked duck egg contains over twice the daily value -- DV -- of cholesterol needed by your body, 15 percent DV of total fats, 18 percent DV of protein, 9 percent DV of sodium and 4 percent DV of potassium.
Other Nutrients
You receive many nutritional benefits from eating a single, cooked duck egg. You'll get over half of the amount of vitamin B-12 your body needs each day for blood production and neurological function, and 19 percent of the DV you require of vitamin A for healthy bones, a strong immune system and good vision. Duck eggs also provide the following daily value percentages of B vitamins and minerals: 13 percent riboflavin, 8 percent B-6, 5 percent thiamin, 1 percent niacin,15 percent iron and phosphorus, 10 percent folate, 7 percent zinc, 4 percent calcium, 3 percent magnesium and 2 percent calcium.
Cholesterol Concerns
In discussing whether eggs should be avoided to reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease, Jacquie Jacob and Tony Pescatore at the University of Kentucky's Cooperative Extension Service assert that research has shown no effect of egg consumption on elevating your blood cholesterol levels. On the other hand, the American Heart Association, or AHA, advises you to limit your intake of dietary cholesterol to no more than 300 mg daily. According to the USDA National Agricultural Library database, a raw duck egg contains about 619 mg.of cholesterol -- one egg puts you over the AHA restriction.
Warning
You should avoid eating raw eggs because you can contract a type of food poisoning called Salmonella enteritidis, or SE. Only about one in 20,000 commercial eggs are contaminated with SE. However, a 2010 outbreak of Salmonella poisoning attributed to duck egg consumption in the United Kingdom affected at least 66 individuals.
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