A maker of egg products in Wuhan, Hubei Province has applied for UN World Intangible Cultural Heritage status for the craft of century eggs, a type of preserved egg popular in China, as reported by the Chutian Metropolis Daily on Monday.

Hubei Shendan Healthy Food Co. Ltd, the largest egg product maker in China, started the application process on Sunday.

Century eggs are a Chinese delicacy made by preserving eggs of a chickens, ducks or quails in a special mixture composed of clay, ash, salt, lime, and rice for periods of several weeks to several months.

Li Chaoguo, a researcher at the Hubei Provincial Bureau of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, said during the application launch ceremony that century eggs had a history of over 300 years. Every year, up to 3 million tons of the delicacy are produced and sold to more than 20 countries all over the world.

Zhang Xiaohui, standing deputy director of local provincial intangible culture heritage protection center, told reporters that the application will popularize the concept of heritage protection.

The application process must go through county, city, provincial, national and the United Nations levels.

At the end of July this year, two US media, CNN and Forbes, listed century eggs (pi dan) as one of the most "revolting" food items in the world, a move that ignited wide protest among Chinese web users. On July 6, CNN made an apology on its website.