Tags: Exotic Food, Street Food, Truly Pinoy Food and Drinks
By Edzelle Pena
MANILA, METRO MANILA — Who would not recognize the familiar bellow of the “balut” vendor? It is a loud and distinct call of a vendor scouring the streets at night in search of a hungry fellow with a craving for the exotic.
Balut, which is basically a boiled fertile duck or chicken egg with a partially developed fetus inside, is a common dish among Filipinos. Locally, it is best enjoyed with an ice-cold beer and eaten with a garnish of salt. While it means a delectable gastronomy for some, for the fussy eater, the insides of a balut are a terrifying sight.
This high-protein snack is believed to be an effective aphrodisiac. But to enjoy this, one has to get pass the sight of a fluffy, feathery creature with tiny little hands and feet resting lifelessly on top of a quirky yellow core and a hard, white crust.
Many foreigners are grossed out by this dish but truly, a visit to the Philippines would not be complete without sampling a taste of this exotic cuisine.
When eating balut, break the top of the shell and peel it back to make a hole. You can then drink the “soup” contained inside. The soup is essentially the liquid components of the egg. After drinking all of it, peel the shell back slowly to expose the yolk and fetus.
The whole thing can be eaten in one gulp but you can also pick its bits and then eat them piece by piece. Do not forget to dip it in salt or vinegar with chili. You will taste a range of textures and flavor. Every part of the fetus is eaten — from the head to the wings, feet, feathers and beak.
Balut is sold in just about any street in the Philippines, usually twice in the day — morning and evening. However, there is one place in Manila where you can buy it 24/7. It is in the town of Pateros, the balut capital of the Philippines. Balut-making has become a common source of livelihood for the locals here. Many claim that balut bought from Pateros tastes better than those sold in other places. Balut-makers here attribute this to their careful selection and incubation of the eggs.
Balut is also a favorite dish in other Southeast Asian countries like Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. According to Wikipedia, the Vietnamese prefer their balut matured from 19 days up to 21 days when the chick is old enough to be recognizable as a baby duck. At which time, it already has bones that will be firm but tender when cooked. In Cambodia, it is eaten while warm in its shell and garnished with a mixture of lime juice and ground pepper. Meanwhile, here in the Philippines, the ideal balut is 17 days old when the chick is just starting to develop and its parts are not yet completely formed. This is called “balut sa puti” or “wrapped in white.”
Despite the unappetizing sight, balut is one exotic dish that will surely delight your palette. It has become a treasured delicacy among Filipinos and will continue to be one of our trademarks.
So the next time you hear the ever-so-present bellow — “Baluuut! Baluuut!” — grab a few pesos and indulge on this exotic dish. Not only will you enjoy it — it will be one gastronomic experience you will never forget.
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