Balut - Strange Food People Eat - Duck Fetus - Warning

A balut (spelled standardized as balot) is a developing bird embryo (usually a duck or chicken) that is boiled and eaten from the shell. It originates and is commonly sold as street-food in the Philippines. They are common food in countries in Southeast Asia, such as Laos (khai look ໄຂ່ລູກ in Lao), Cambodia (pong tia koun ពងទាកូន in Cambodian), Thailand (Khai Khao ไข่ข้าว in Thai) and Vietnam (trứng vịt lộn or hột vịt lộn in Vietnamese). They are often served with beer. The Tagalog and Malay word balut means "wrapped". The length of incubation before the egg is cooked is a matter of local preference, but generally ranges between 14 and 21 days.
The eating of balut is controversial due to religious, animal welfare and human health concerns. In the Philippines and other localities where balut is a traditional food, it is a common street-food and is also sold in stores and malls. It is a substantially higher source of protein and calcium compared to a regular unfertilized egg, and it is relatively cheaper. The Philippines were influenced by the Chinese around 1885, and since then, balut has been included as a traditional part of the culture. Wherever Filipinos migrated around the country for work, a large market for balut would develop. Controversies arose as knowledge of the food spread around the South East Asian countries and then globally. People questioned the ethics of eating balut. Many people afraid to try balut don’t want to feel like they’re chewing on a duckling. But really, the thought of balut is more repulsive than the balut itself. In fact, the experience of eating balut is quite pleasant. A good balut yolk has a soft texture not unlike cream cheese. It’s not as sulfurous as regular hard-boiled chicken eggs. A good balut, including the embryo, is milder in flavor, and there’s nothing to be afraid of when it comes to the embryo’s texture. You’re not crunching through bones—it’s tender and dissolves in your mouth, almost like a mousse. if you’re game to move on, you can add a little salt or vinegar and drain the soup before proceeding. Some people peel and bite in increments to avoid actually seeing the embryo, while others just peel off most of the shell and eat the balut in one or two bites. Whatever your approach, you should always leave the albumen—the white part of the egg—behind, as it has the flavor and texture of a pencil eraser.
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