Consider the egg. What does it look like? What does it taste like? Where does it come from? Maybe you’re thinking tautologically: An egg is egg-shaped, tastes eggy, and comes from egg-laying hens.

All of this, and more, is explored in a new book from food and culture journal, the Gourmand. Edited and art directed by the magazine’s founders, David Lane and Marina Tweed, Egg is the debut volume ...