Would you eat ”Balut”?

Balut is a developing bird embryo that is boiled and eaten from the shell. It is commonly sold as street food in the Philippines and Vietnam. The Tagalog and Malay word balot or balut means “wrap”

Every culture has a culinary specialty that raises the eyebrows—if not the gorges—of people from other cultures. Malaysian have Durians. France have smelly cheese, Filipinos have Balut, a hard-boiled duck egg. It sounds innocent enough, until you find out the egg is fertilized and allowed to develop from 16 to 20 days before it’s cooked. By this point, the embryo will have become distinctly duck like, sometimes complete with body parts like eyes, beaks, and feathers. You are essentially eating a duck fetus in uterus.

Other Southeast Asians like the Vietnamese or the Thais have their own versions of Balut, and there is strong supporting evidence that the ancestor of the Balut comes from China. But the Filipino version reigns supreme in international awareness, thanks (or not) to shows like Fear Factor that serve it up as a challenge to be choked down.

I tried it for you…

Back in 2010, i was Couchsurfing in the Philippines and my host kindly offer it to me during my stay. How can i possibly refuse this generous offer?

Some people like it, some people does not and I am one of them that will not eat it again.