Why is it said: It costs him like St. Peter's scrambled eggs ?

The term is often used in Serbia; "It costs him like St. Peter's scrambled eggs"

This term is used to mean "very expensive" or "pay a high price".

You have probably, at least once, wondered what kind of scrambled eggs must have been when it has remained to this day in an expression that signifies great, exceptional expensiveness. And why is this expensive scrambled egg associated with the name of St. Peter?

In Milan Shipka's book "Why is it said", it is stated that it is not clear from the expression "is it about St. Peter's scrambled eggs that cost someone dearly, or about some scrambled eggs that cost St. Peter himself dearly?" According to Shipka, the first interpretation is more convincing, and the expression comes from the Greeks who have the proverb "Is St. George's scrambled eggs expensive" where the name was changed, since St. Peter is better known in Serbia than among the Greeks.

And the legend that explains this expression says that a boy in Paphlagonia made scrambled eggs for St. George and took them to his church. Then four merchants came to pray to God and seeing the scrambled eggs, they could not resist and ate it. But the saint performed a miracle and the merchants could not leave the temple until each of them laid down one large gold coin. When they finally came out of the temple, they said: "Saint George, scrambled eggs are very expensive for you; we will never buy them from you again."

Another interpretation says that Jesus and St. Peter went to the world to tempt people, and with that "Christ tempts his Peter". One evening they found themselves with a poor widow who had many weak children. She welcomed them nicely and offered them scrambled eggs for dinner. Jesus gave thanks and did not want to taste the scrambled eggs, but went to the straw to sleep, warning St. Peter not to eat the scrambled eggs that the widow had prepared for the children. But, hungry Peter did not listen to Jesus, but reached for the scrambled eggs and wanted to eat it, but at the same time he became petrified so that he could not eat it.

In the morning, Jesus pronounced a heavy penance on Peter, so that Peter had to beg in the village to feed the widow's children, until Jesus returned and found the children alive and well. When he returned, Jesus asked Peter, "Is everything all right, so that I may forgive you?", And Peter, exhausted, said (according to the poem of J. J. Zmaj):"All is well, thank you very much! But scrambled eggs cost me dearly."

According to another version of this story, St. Peter received a thick beating from a host with whom he slept with Christ, because, without asking him, he prepared and ate scrambled eggs.

Namely, Jesus and St. Peter spent the night with a peasant, who did not offer them dinner, so they went to bed hungry. So at some point St. Peter woke up, stole a few eggs and made scrambled eggs. When he had eaten, he lay down to sleep beside Jesus. However, the peasant noticed the theft and the thief, so he shot him several times in the back with a stick, as punishment. That is why St. Peter woke Jesus and suggested that they change places, fearing what the peasant would do to him. Jesus agreed. But then the peasant remembered that he had slaughtered only one, and that the eggs had probably been divided, so he got up again and set fire to the other, that is. again by St. Peter.