Balut is a delicacy from the Philippines that most of us would find hard to stomach. And I’m not talking about the Spam Jam Restaurant either!
One of the joys of travel is trying out the different exotic foods, such as those that appear in my 52 Tips for Weird Food and Drinks. I’ve eaten all sorts of crap (maybe even literally), but even I’m not sure about trying Balut. When I think about it and look at it, it really does make me squirm a lot. But I guess you don’t really know unless you try it!
Anyway, Dave from The Longest Way Home sent this in (check out my review of his Travel Photography Book). Balut is basically Duck Fetus that’s eaten at a certain stage of development, according to taste and how crunchy you want it…
Dave says ‘I’m attaching two photos of Balut. One in mid unpeeled state, one showing the head of the unformed duck fetus. From what I recall this was a 17 day old specimen. They come in different day classes depending on how people like the fetus to be formed. Another day and this one would be crunchy. They eat them with some chilli vinegar and straight out of the shell.’
Yummo! Not! I can hear everyone who is reading this vomiting up their lunch all over the computer screen!
Balut Photos and Pictures!
Ok, so here you go – some very appetite killing Balut Photos! Make sure you clean up the computer screen after you view these! Maybe don’t read this over lunch!
And there’s more!
Now I’m feeling squeamish after checking this dodgy photos out! Urrgh!
More Balut and Philippines Stuff
I have a feeling Balut didn’t appear in this guide about the Philippines! But it probably did in How Would You Like Your Balut?
Enjoy! If you have tried this stuff, feel free to leave a comment below to let me know if it’s worth trying!
why don’t you try balut when you have an opportunity to go to Philippines?
I had trouble eating the cow’s nose with peanut sauce in Surabaya! And that was cooked! Eating Balut raw is making me feel sick just thinking about it!
You don’t eat raw.It is cooked for at least 30mins. It’s worth sampling man
Okay… maybe…
Balut! Man, I miss this.
The secret is not to look at it when you gobble it up.
Holy crap, that sounds like the voice of experience to me! I’m still not convinced that I should try it!
I bet it tastes like chicken! Seriously, why do most people reference new food tastes to chicken? I ate alligator (at Bass Pro Shops restaurant)once, and my remark was “tastes like spicy chicken.”
Aww! You should’ve tried it! Better yet, you could’ve tried the “penoy” version. The one without the formed duck embryo. It basically looks like a hardboiled chicken egg, but tastes much better!
Yummo… Maybe 🙂
I am a Filipino and I love Balut, with spicy vinegar and salt,my favorite street food ever! This is a famous food delicacy in the Philippines. I can still remember I let my American boyfriend eat that while while laughing behind his back.