BALUT- DISGUSTING?

A Philippine delicacy  was listed as the number 2 most disgusting food by listverse.com. I recently discovered the article written  in 2007.

I used to eat balut ONLY in the dark and with my eyes closed. This changed when I had a gustatorial epiphany one drunken night in college (alcohol, apparently, is a great tool for reaching life-changing realizations). I ate one under bright lights and with my eyes open. After sucking the succulent juices, I cracked the shell fully open. The feathery duck fetus lay there challenging me to show it how Pinoy I was by biting its head off. And I did so. the triumph of overcoming my fear and disgust of bizarre foods made me more adventurous. Thanks to the balut, I have become a more adventurous foodie.

Here's the entry on Balut from listverse.com.


2. Balut – Duck Fetus

          Balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in
          the shell. They are considered delicacies of Asia and especially the Philippines, Cambodia, and
         Vietnam. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack,
         balut are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available. They are
         often served with beer. Michael, from WeirdMeat, describes the experience thus:

After you choose what kind you want, the vendor grabs them piping hot from the basket and passes you a little stool, salt, and a vinegar-onion sauce. You hold the hot egg and flick carefully but forcefully at the top of it with your middle finger. It cracks a bit and you gently remove a small hole from the top, so you can sip the savory broth before removing the whole shell. I agree that the 18-day one is better than the younger ones. You might come across some small chunkies but it’s usually just eaten all the way through, in about 3 mouthful bites. You can see feathers, head, wings, and skeleton forming, but it’s basically an extra-chewy easter egg.

          Fertilized duck eggs are kept warm in the sun and stored in baskets to retain warmth. After nine
         days, the eggs are held to a light to reveal the embryo inside. Approximately eight days later the
         balut are ready to be cooked, sold, and eaten.


To read the full article, please click on HERE.