The Balut

A small introduction

While completing my bachelor degree in Breda, The Netherlands, I had an opportunity to do an internship abroad in a rural city in The Philippines called San Carlos (in Negros Occidental). Here, I experienced so many new things, their culture, the language, their traditions, but nothing stuck in my mind more than the food this wonderful place has to offer, and so, I will tell you a bit about my best memories.

The infamous "Balut"

When most people think about a typical Filipino dish, they usually discuss the balut. For those who might be unaware of this Filipino street food, it is a developing embryo (usually a duck) boiled and eaten (much like a hardboiled egg), considered by many a delicacy!

As the weeks went by, I passed by a couple of balut stands close to my house, but I was still trying to postpone this eventual experience. I have always been the kind of guy that will eat any kind of food at least once, you know, to say: at least I tried it!

Jumping ahead to maybe my 4th month, the carnival came to my small rural city. A Ferris wheel was set next to the city hall, carnival games where placed all around it, and as expected, food stalls surrounded the place. My "Filipino family" (the family that lived with me in my house, which kind of adopted me during my stay in San Carlos) decided to take me along one day, and I knew it in my gut "today will be the day".

We spent probably 3 hours at the carnival. We went on the rides, we played some games, we drank some beers, and finally, we decided to have a bite before heading home. We passed by the stands and eventually settled for some chicken inasal (marinated chicken grilled over hot coals served with rice). Just as I was about to take my first bite, I was stopped, I looked up at my Filipino family, they had placed an egg in front of me. 

I was given some instructions on how to properly eat it, and I followed along while they were also preparing to eat theirs. We waited for it to be slightly cooler, began to peel off the shell, and before I knew it, I had reached the embryo.

Suddenly, my mouth went dry, I could feel my heart pounding on my chest as more Filipinos came to watch. "His first balut" they shouted to others as they gathered around me. The moment had become a spectacle, many have never seen a foreigner try a balut in their lifetime. Some pulled out their phones ready to film while others comforted my clearly nervous look, but everyone was ready for the big moment.

I was given a small bag filled with white vinegar, soy sauce, lemon and some chili, a usual Filipino dip to put on my balut. I opened the tip of the bag with my teeth and poured a good amount on the top, thinking to myself "there's no turning back now".

I closed my eyes and took a bite like no other. I thought to myself: "One big bite and its done", as I began to chew. It was a strange moment, it was something quite difficult to explain. The best and easiest way I can put it, it's like biting into something between a boiled egg, and a cooked chicken, but flavorwise, incredibly, it wasn't bad at all. 

My Filipino family laughed and the crowd turned smaller. I had finally done it, and now, I deserved to have a proper meal. The day turned into night, and we eventually ended up going home. We talked about the balut for a while and eventually, a thought came up in my head:

What's next?

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