Only The Brave: The Stages of Eating Philippine's BALUT (Boiled Fertilized Duck Egg Embryo)

Warning: Contains graphic pictures.

I got hungry on my way home from purchasing ingredients for my pancake business when I passed upon an area of street food vendors. One food stall sells the infamous Balut (boiled fertilized duck egg embryo). I love Balut and it is one of my comfort food. It is a common Filipino street food in which you usually season it with salt or chili garlic vinegar dip.

The Baluts are marked with a number which signifies the days of their incubation period. I will feature the different kinds of Balut in terms of their incubation period that are popular with the customers.

I got home and purchased 3 types of Balut, together with the seasonings/dip that the vendor gave me.

First things first, I will show you how to eat Balut:

1. Identify the flat top of the egg.

2. Crack it.
   

3. Slowly remove the shells so that you won't spill it's broth. Just remove a portion or a third of the whole shell.

4. Sip the broth or you can add salt before sipping it.

5. Once you have the consumed the broth inside it, remove most of the shells. You can pour/dip it in salt and/or vinegar sauce and eat it all at once or in portions.

16 Days Incubation

This kind of Balut is where the embryo is slowly showing. We usually recommend this Balut for beginners so that they won't be too shocked. The broth is kinda bland so you may want to add salt in this duck egg.

17 days

You can see the fetus already forming. The pointed part is the beak. The soup is usually the best tasting at this stage.

18 Days

This is where you can feel and taste the feathers and soft bones of the developing fetus. The soup is already a bit salty. This is popular among alcohol drinkers. It is best downing it with beer together with your friends.

The bravest will only venture eating a balut incubated at 21 days. I tried before but the feathers feel like you're eating human hair and the bones stick to your teeth. It doesn't taste that well for me anymore.

If you want to know the ingredients for the Chili Garlic Vinegar Dip:

1/8 cup vinegar
3 - 4 chili peppers
1 garlic clove chopped

You may add other spices such as ginger and onions if you like

Although it's a popular aphrodisiac, it is not advisable to eat for people with high blood pressure. So I suggest to take it easy, if you're still grossed with the way it looks, try eating it in dim light. It is best eaten hot, with it's broth tastes like chicken soup. So if you want to try a truly challenging Filipino foodie experience try Balut!

Happy Eating!

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