Afried egg is a cooked dish made from one or moreeggs which are removed from their shells and placed into afrying pan and cooked. They are traditionally eaten forbreakfast orbrunch in many countries but may also be served at other times of the day.
Fried eggs served withVegeta spice in CroatiaTwo eggs withblue cheese on a plateTwo Austrian-type fried eggs painted on a bench with a frying pan next to it,Vienna
Fried eggs (Spiegeleier; singularSpiegelei) are a crucial part of such traditional German dishes asStrammer Max (the egg is fried on one side with an unbroken yolk, and served "sunny side up" atop an open ham sandwich) orHamburger Schnitzel /Holsteiner Schnitzel /Fernfahrerschnitzel ("trucker's schnitzel") – a similarly prepared fried egg served on aWiener Schnitzel.
Fried eggs over (or side-by-side with) pan-fried potatoes is another common dish, sometimes served with spinach as a third component of the meal. Some German cooks break the yolk and distribute it across the surface of thewhite during the frying.
All of the above are typically lunch, rather than breakfast, dishes, although eggs themselves (like boiled orscrambled eggs) are a common part of a German breakfast.
InCambodia, a fried egg is often served on top of a common dish calledbeef lok lak. It is made of a ring of spinach, onion finely shaven, and tomato with either a portion of venison or beef with gravy, topped with a fried egg, either duck or chicken egg.[citation needed]
Mie goreng noodle served with fried egg and vegetables
InIndonesia, fried eggs are served either astelur ceplok ortelur mata sapi (Indonesian for "bull's eye egg") which refer to sunny side up eggs, astelur dadar (omelette) or astelur orak-arik (scrambled eggs). The fried eggs are eithersetengah matang which is half cooked with still runny yolk ormatang which is well done. When speaking English, an Indonesian waiter may ask if you want the egg fried "one side" or "two sides". Fried eggs, especially bull's eye egg, are a popular topping for Indonesian fried rice (nasi goreng)[1] and fried noodle (mie goreng), either freshly prepared noodle or cooked frominstant noodleIndomie Mi goreng.[2]
A simple dish of fried sunny side up egg served on top of steamed rice drizzled withkecap manis sweet soy sauce, is a favourite dish among Indonesian children.[3] Other than served with rice, fried eggs might be served with bread as a sandwich for breakfast. Seasoning includes salt and pepper, sweet soy sauce, and sometimes hot and spicysambal chili paste.[citation needed]
Thisfull English breakfast includes bacon, fried egg, black pudding, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, hash browns (not traditional), baked beans, and sausages.
Fried eggs can be served ontoast, or in a sandwich, withbacon,sausages, and a variety of condiments. Eggs are often part of thefull breakfast commonly eaten in Britain and Ireland. Fried eggs are often served withham orgammon steak as a popularpub meal. The egg is cooked on high heat and hot fat, oil, or water may be splashed onto the top of the egg to baste it and cook the white. They are usually cooked without turning over.[citation needed]
InPortugal andBrazil, a runny egg placed over a steak with a side dish of rice and fried potatoes (and the addition of black beans in Brazil) is called abife a cavalo, literally "horse-riding steak".
A similar dish, with the namebife a caballo in Spanish, is also common in Argentina, Ecuador, and Uruguay (calledchurrasco); fried potatoes and salad replace the beans and rice.
In Colombia’sbandeja paisa the egg is accompanied with avocado and chorizo.
InEcuador,llapingachos include a sunny-side up egg served over pan-seared cheesy mashed potatoes and fried sausage.
In northern Mexico,huevos montados (riding eggs) are served withrefried beans and fried potatoes (or french fries). Another common method of serving eggs in Mexico ishuevos a la mexicana, which blends fried eggs with diced tomato, onion, and green chili pepper; the amount of pepper added is often to order.
There are several other egg dishes inMexico which combine different ingredients:Huevos motuleños (in Yucatán),aporreados (mixed with refried beans), andhuevos rancheros (sunny side up eggs served over a corntortilla, covered with spicy salsa). Also, in some parts of Mexico, fried eggs are served with fresh tomato, onions, andcilantro salsa. Red chili is optional, as is a blended sauce.
InSpain fried eggs (huevos fritos) are a common dish. They are eaten alone, with meat, or with sausages. In this country, a fried egg served with boiled rice covered in tomato sauce is calledarroz a la cubana in Spanish and the same dish is served in parts of Latin America, Italy (so-calledocchio di bue, transl: ox's eye), the Philippines, and Portugal as well.
PoetNâzım Hikmet said in an interview that he stayed with a Spanish friend for a month and ate fried eggs almost every day.[4][page needed]
A Dutchuitsmijter spek en kaas: fried eggs with bacon and cheese
In theNetherlands, a fried egg (spiegelei) is normally served on top of a slice of bread (white or whole wheat), often with fried bacon, for breakfast or lunch.[5]
Anuitsmijter is a dish consisting of two or three fried eggs, sunny side up. One version is fried together with ham and cheese (uitsmijter ham en kaas), or bacon and cheese (uitsmijter spek en kaas). Another version is placed on buttered bread over a generous slice of cold meat, e.g., cooked ham or beef, similar to the GermanStrammer Max orStrammer Otto, and usually garnished with a dill pickle. It is a common lunch dish served in many cafes, canteens, and lunch rooms in the Netherlands.Uitsmijter, which literally means "out-thrower", is aDutch word for abouncer.[6]
What is known as "scrambled eggs" in the US and UK is called "fried eggs" in Nigeria, while what is known as "fried eggs" in the US and UK would be known as "half-fried eggs" in Nigeria. Themai shai stalls cook scrambled eggs to the point of being heavily crisp.[7]
FriedSpam with rice and eggs is a common meal in the Philippines.
In thePhilippines, fried eggs are often cooked like a sunny-side egg but the yolk is half cooked - referred to as malasado (from the Spanish, meaning undercooked) - by sprinkling it with salt and oil while being fried, giving it a distinctive pink-colored membrane. Garlic rice (sinangag) with an egg (itlog) is a common combination known assilog, usually served with a choice of breakfast meat such as beeftapa to make ittapsilog,longaniza (longsilog), fried milkfish, dried fish,tocino (caramelised pork),Spam, orcorned beef, etc. In addition, fried eggs are eaten in a dish calledArroz a la cubana, which is seasoned ground beef with raisins, cubed potatoes, tomato sauce, and olives, along with white rice and fried ripe plantains. Fried eggs are also a main ingredient in the noodle dish Pancit Batil Patong, where a fried egg is topped over stir-fried noodles.[citation needed]
Yam khai dao: A spicy and sourThai salad made with crispy fried eggs
InThai cuisine, when the wordskhai dao (lit. "star egg") are placed after the name of a dish, it means that one wants that dish accompanied by a fried egg. The very popularkaphrao mu rat khao khai dao for instance, translates to "basil fried pork on top of rice with a fried egg". Sometimes this is referred to as a "top egg".[8] Fried rice is also popularly accompanied with a fried egg, such as withkhao phat Amerikan andkhao phat (standard Thai-style fried rice).[9][10] Another popular way of eating fried eggs in Thailand is to use it as the main ingredient of theThai salad calledyam khai dao.[11]
Ham and eggs served with fried eggs prepared "sunny side up"
In both the United States and Canada, the term 'fried egg' is an umbrella term which can refer to multiple ways in which an egg can be fried. Using over-easy as an example, they may be ordered either as 'over-easy eggs' or as 'eggs, over-easy' to denote the kind desired.[citation needed]
Over-easy refers to eggs which have one side which has had most of its whites fried, while the other side has only been lightly fried, leaving the yolk unbroken and runny.[12][13][14][15][16][17] In the state ofPennsylvania, these are commonly known as 'dippy eggs', in reference to the fact that they are often eaten by dipping toast into the yolks of the egg.[18][19][20][21] In the United Kingdom, 'dippy egg' instead refers tosoft-boiled eggs.[citation needed]
Sunny-side up refers to eggs which have only been fried on one side, not being flipped at all, leaving a completely intact and soft yolk on top.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35]
In Vietnam, a fried egg (Trứng ốp la) is served over white rice, topped with a dab ofoyster orhoisin sauce; this is also popular in east Asia. Fried eggs are also sometimes used in abánh mì.[citation needed]
The name "toad in the hole" is sometimes used for this dish, particularly in the U.S., though that name more commonly refers to sausages cooked in Yorkshire pudding batter.[36] This dish is usually made by cutting a circle or other shape out of a slice of bread, often using a drinking glass or biscuit cutter. The bread is fried until brown on one side and then flipped, and an egg is broken into the center and seasoned, usually withsalt andpepper, and sometimes herbs. The pan is then covered, and the egg is cooked until the white is just set. The cutout center of the bread is often fried as well and served alongside or on top of the finished egg.[37]
^"Over easy". Cambridge. Retrieved9 June 2025.If an egg is fried over easy, it is fried on both sides in such a way that the yolk (the yellow part) stays slightly liquid
^"Over easy". Dictionary.com. Retrieved9 June 2025.(of fried eggs) turned over when nearly done and fried briefly on the reverse side so that the yolk remains somewhat liquid but with a thin, firm layer on top.
^"Over easy". Dictionary.com. Retrieved9 June 2025.alsoover-easy Cookery (of fried eggs) turned over when nearly done and fried briefly on the reverse side so that the yolk remains somewhat liquid but hard on top
^Arman Liew (7 September 2024)."Over Easy Eggs". The Big Man's World. Retrieved9 June 2025.
^Julie (5 November 2009)."Dippy Eggs". Peanut Butter Fingers. Retrieved9 June 2025.Apparently "over easy" is the proper term for my favorite kind of eggs, but I was grew up in a household with two parents who were born and raised in Pennsylvania, so we call eggs with a runny middledippy.
^"Scrapple & Dippy Eggs". PA Eats. 1 February 2019. Retrieved9 June 2025.The key is to fry the eggs over high enough heat that the whites can set while the yolks still stay "dippy" (that's how many Pennsylvanians refer toover easy eggs). Breakfast doesn't get any more Pennsylvania than this!
^Megan Shoop-Volz (17 December 2024)."Dippy Eggs Is The Best Breakfast You've Never Heard Of". Chowhound. Retrieved9 June 2025.During a family vacation in my late teens, I was shocked to discover what I calleddippy eggs was just called "over easy" throughout most of the rest of the country. Outside of Northern Appalachia, dippy eggs refers to the British-born dish that featured soft-boiled eggs served alongside strips of toast, something I discovered at a posh little brunch spot near Niagara Falls.
^Snejana "Sneji" (14 November 2023)."Over Medium Eggs". The Modern Nonna. Retrieved9 June 2025.
^Lee Funke (28 May 2022)."Over Medium Eggs". Fit Foodie Finds. Retrieved9 June 2025.
^Arman Liew (5 March 2025)."Over Medium Eggs". The Big Man's World. Retrieved9 June 2025.
^Arman Liew (26 September 2023)."Over Hard Eggs". The Big Man's World. Retrieved9 June 2025.
^Kathy Berget (21 April 2022)."Over Hard Eggs". Beyond The Chicken Coop. Retrieved9 June 2025.
^Lisa Bass (30 November 2022)."Over Hard Eggs". Farmhouse on Boone. Retrieved9 June 2025.
^"sunny-side up". Dictionary.com. Retrieved9 June 2025.(of an egg) fried without breaking the yolk or being turned over, with the yolk remaining visible and somewhat liquid inside.
^"Sunny-side up". Meriam Webster. Retrieved9 June 2025.of an egg fried on one side only
^"Sunnyside up". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved9 June 2025.(of an egg) fried without breaking the yolk or being turned over, with the yolk remaining visible and somewhat liquid inside