The Balut experience (Manila)

I recently made a short trip to the Philippines. It was my second visit and it grew on me more this time. One of the more memorable experiences, not in an entirely pleasant sense, was BALUT. This is a partially fertilised duck egg that is a popular snack in the Philippines. I also saw them in Cambodia, where it was chicken, not duck, egg. There is an embryo inside, so it's a snack full of protein.

My friend Lydia, upon finding out I had never tried a balut, decided that it had to be experienced. So she got three warm balut, sold in a basket in the market, and brought them home. They were temporarily forgotten about for an hour or two (not by me, but I was happy not to remind her) but then she remembered and brought them out with some salt. The photos below tell the story...

Cracking the shell, one sees a dark and murky interior...

Having drunk the juice first with a pinch of salt (like a tequila slammer), you peel more shell off, which reveals a bizarre, veiny colourful blob...

 

 

 

About to tuck in - the point of no return...

But the sight of the duckling's skull and beak was the biggest hurdle. It was rather crunchy. But the feathers were silky smooth...

In terms of taste, it was better than a normal boiled egg, by far. But although Lydia then asked me to eat the remaining two, I think one balut in a lifetime was enough for me...