Talk:Spiegelei

Does anybody know the etymology of this word. The question goes to whether two eggs is a standard serving only in America or. as some claim, that in Europe it is one egg. Is the origin of Spiegelei due to the fact that it is like a mirror where the two yolks are the eyes you are looking into. Still under investigation. R. Feinman (feinman@mac.com)

The motivation seems to be that a fried egg "sunny side up" has a clear and shiny surface, unlike a scrambled egg. Maybe the yolk was seen as the face.

As to your other question there's no standard way of serving fried eggs. You wouldn't get more than one egg in a normal continental breakfast, though the standard is a boiled egg rather than a fried one. But you'd get two if it's a more hearty breakfast, such as "Bauernfrühstück", farmer's breakfast, which is fried eggs and fried potatoes. One fried egg, a cutlet, and fried potatoes is also a common restaurant dish.