BALUT

A Philippine delicacy

It is believed to be that the balut / balot is a Philippine exclusive. But that is wrong, it can also be found in other Asian countries such as Vietnam, China and Cambodia.

A balut is a fertilized bird egg (usually a duck) which is incubated for a period of 14 to 21 days depending on the local culture and then boiled or steamed. The contents are eaten directly from the shell. Balut that is incubated for longer periods have a well-developed embryo and the features of the duckling are recognizable. The partially-developed embryo bones are soft enough to chew and swallow as a whole.

It is believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, baluts are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available. Balut are most often eaten with a pinch of salt though some balut-eaters prefer chili and vinegar to complement their egg. The eggs are savored for their balance of textures and flavors; the broth surrounding the embryo is sipped from the egg before the shell is peeled and the yolk and young chick inside can be eaten. All of the contents of the egg are consumed.

My experience

Even though I am a Filipino, I somewhat rejected the idea of eating a balut at first. Heck, it even disgusted me. However, appearances can be deceiving and this monstrosity of a creation apparently tastes good!

The first time I ate one, my mouth tingled and it was overloaded with the taste of vinegar and the other thing I cannot explain. Yeah, I literally cannot describe the taste of the balut because of its exoticism and my tongue’s capacity to identify is lacking hahaha. Nevertheless, it was delicious and it stayed that way for a whole second. Every time a chunk of egg was removed it was like the jack in the box. I wanted to stop but I was morbidly curious and could not. The next chunk came off. And the next. Then the next…

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PREPARING YOUR OWN:

Try this

Posted by:

Roet Christian S. Tubaña