Eggs are laid by female animals such as birds, lizards, frogs and fish, some of which are fit for human consumption.  They range from marble-sized speckled ones laid by quail to the intimidating hard-shelled white ones laid by ostriches and served in exotic restaurants.  For the purposes of simplification, those laid by chickens are the point of discussion here, being the most widely available and having the most applications for food preparation.

Dairy pertains to a wide raw and processed products made from milk that is sourced from any animal from the most readily available cow to those sourced from goats, buffalo even camels in the Middle East.  These products are among the most widely consumed food groups in the world with hundreds of derivatives from milk (like crème fraiche, sour and clotted cream, condensed and evaporated milk and kefir),  butter (buttermilk and ghee),  cheese (curds, whey, cottage cheese), yoghurt and even frozen confections. These have naturally high in protein and calcium and are used to make practically countless dishes from salads and entrees to drinks and desserts.  Milk is one of the most widely consumed products and though can be used fresh, is unusually pasteurization to kill any harmful microorganisms. From the moment a baby is born, the first food taken in a milk product, mother’s milk or infant formula that is  (though that may not be considered dairy).  Senior citizens also have to take foods high in calcium to maintain their bone health and this is usually derived from milk products as well.

Cream comes from the separation process wherein milk is separated into cream and skim milk.  It can then be dried, powdered or condensed, optionally sweetened then packaged. The recipes provided are good representations of use in soups, entrees, desserts and drinks, either as the main ingredient or as a binder, flavor or textural component.  In any case, the nutrient content is much improved of dishes that include them. Calcium need not be obtained exclusively from dairy products as vegetarians and vegans advocate.  According to them, nuts and seeds are also excellent sources of calcium and other minerals attributed to milk.  In fact, they even suggest that the calcium from plant sources are better assimilated and are free from the potentially not so good effects of dairy consumption.