How To Eat Balut

Balut, that much-loved, much-maligned Filipino delicacy. Favorite of beer-drinkers all over the country, degree zero for culinary nastiness. (Used as a stunt in Fear Factor, a reality show. The dreaded food test for the foreigner and the Filipino-American.

Say it about Balut, your lips gently pressed together as the tip of your tongue flicks up quickly towards your palate, your lips move as one in the shape of a narrow "o" and ends with your tongue teasingly poking behind your teeth.

This is, however, in contrast to how Balut is sold here in our country by ambulant vendors who yell at night, "Balut!" Sometimes, you will see a stall named "Balut Express". They don't need to shout, "Balut!", instead they make their product attractive to the buyer.

"Balut!, Balut Penoy!, Balut!, Balut Penoy!", shouts the vendor along the streets."

But there is nothing sensual about Balut. It is, after all, an aborted duck fetus, as opposed to say, eating ordinary chicken egg with yolk, the Balut is ready and fertilized. Actually, Balut is healthy too. Some say Balut can make your knees strong. (Baluts are incubated up to 18 days before hatchery.)

The Balut gets its notoriety: The duck really looks like a duck but in small size and has pink limbs, gray feathers, useless beak and all. Some say yolk burit is delicious and healthy, but don't eat too much of it because it can lead to hypertension.

Now, I will share to you the steps on how to eat Balut.

1. First, you must buy Balut for you to taste it. (If it's already hot, you don't need to boil it again.)
2. Ready some table salt, or other condiments that you want to go with your Balut.
3. Hold the Balut upright, and with the underside of a spoon, crack the top of the egg. However, Filipinos don't use a spoon to eat Balut. They use their hands instead.
4. Chip away pieces of the shell until you have a hole about the diameter of a finger.
5. Often, you will see some kind of gauzy membrane and you need to pierce it.
6. You can peek inside the Balut and see the broth. It is rich in protein and also known amniotic fluid.
7. Place the egg to your mouth and sip all the fluid.
8. Continue to chip away the remaining shell.
9. Start eating your Balut.
10. Enjoy!

by Mary Louise Rentoria