Sep 03 2009
Balut Duck Embryo Delicacy
If you have traveled to The Republic of The Philippines and been introduced to the local cuisine you may have enjoyed pancit, chicken adobo, lumpia, and other fine foods.
There is one item that usually tests the mettle of even the most experienced World Traveler. If you think you have “global” taste buds, try BALUT, the Filipino treat that they present to tourists with great fanfare and much drinking and laughter.
Balut is a “not quite ready to hatch” embryo of duck (or chicken) that is hard-boiled in the egg shell casing and then consumed WITH BEER! (I just threw in the beer part.)
U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy sailors have long tested each other with initiation ceremonies that included eating balut, as though it were a rite of passage into the mysteries of the Far East.
(If you click on the photo at left it will open a much larger view of the balut.)
What does it really taste like? Someone once described it as tasting like the way air smells after a big fireworks demonstration. The duck embryo contains phosphorus. But to describe it thus is not doing it justice; one has to try it.
There are Filipino restaurants in the U.S.A. that serve balut. Some Asian food stores also sell balut.
Yes, there are bones and yes, there are wet little feathers. A beak. Two feet. Just poke a hole in one end of the egg and suck out the “amniotic fluid.” If that doesn’t get you, you might enjoy balut with a dip of chile sauce and vinegar, then sprinkle on a little salt….wash it all down with San Miguel Beer!!
(Note: the links to the “Possibly-related Articles” below this entry do not necessarily refer to other posts on my blog. They do link to other today.com blogs with similar subjects, including my own blog. It will be interesting to see how many other articles relate to BALUT!
