# Balut (balot) - anyone try it? And your thoughts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481 "2015-04-24T22:55:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/1 "2015-04-24T22:55:36Z")
Just saw a show recently where balut (balot) was shown and eaten. For anyone unfamiliar, it is a developing duck embryo. It is mostly eaten in Southeast Asia and the Philippines. A number of questions came to mind when I saw the food for the first time. But I have to confess, I didn’t want to try one. I was wondering if anyone out here has tried it, and if so, did you like the taste, was it terrible, or was it just a “meh” experience? As for the texture… Are any parts of the duck developed enough to detect in the mouth? I am thinking feathers, beaks, feet, cartilage, eyes, etc. I understand the embryos are about 17-21 days old (ballpark), and when looking at the Balut before eating, you can clearly see parts of the bird that are defined… But I have no idea how much this can be discerned by the consumer’s mouth. FTR, the people who eat it seem to enjoy it quite a bit, and it is often sold as a street food in some places, sort of like a hot dog or pretzel. For anyone who knows the history of balut or live in a part of the world that sells this, can you tell us why duck eggs seem to be the choice? Are other bird embryos eaten like this as well, and if so, which ones? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/2 "2015-04-24T23:31:26Z")
I tried it in the Philippines. You drink the juice first, which is actually pleasantly brothy. Then you eat the egg. I’m sorry to report its all pretty much a blur of trying not to gag. It was very common everywhere I went. Around sunset every day, street vendors would make the rounds with them. They are also a common bar snack. The reputation is that they are good for the libido. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2015, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/3 "2015-04-24T23:57:38Z")
They used to eat that on Fear Factor. DO NOT WANT. I think I’d sooner eat the cave spiders/whip scorpions. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/4 "2015-04-25T08:31:58Z")
Filipino here so my inputs might not count. I grew up on the thing and I ate only the broth and the yolk. I dont eat it regularly but if I find myself buying one I always ask for the tiniest embryo possible (yes, they can pick it out for you.) Die hards of course want to show off and get the biggest bird they can find, but i’ll pass, I say to them. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/5 "2015-04-25T08:39:53Z")
SFP, as far as I know, balut was introduced by the Chinese. Duck farming around the capital centered around Pateros and Tondo, where you have swampy ground, ideal for raising ducks. Duck eggs are larger, with sturdier shells, so I guess they get experimented on a lot more than chicken eggs. And no, I have never come across a chicken balut. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/6 "2015-04-25T10:40:32Z")
That’s right, I did just eat the broth and yolk. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/7 "2015-04-25T13:06:51Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > SFP, as far as I know, balut was introduced by the Chinese. Duck farming around the capital centered around Pateros and Tondo, where you have swampy ground, ideal for raising ducks. Duck eggs are larger, with sturdier shells, so I guess they get experimented on a lot more than chicken eggs. And no, I have never come across a chicken balut. Surprisingly, a few years ago while visiting my in-laws in the Phoenix are, I saw both chicken and duck balut on sale at an Asian grocery store in Chandler (I believe). I was not feeling brave enough that day to try. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen balut on sale at a store so far. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/8 "2015-04-25T13:19:27Z")
The little duckling is pretty much a soft gelatinous mass. No, you can’t differentiate the bones, feathers, or anything else. The yolk actually has more definition, texture, and taste. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/9 "2015-04-25T14:00:03Z")
^ I’ll take your word for it because I never tried eating the chick. Still, we fun loving Filipinos try to convince the tourists to eat the chick. 😃 and balut eating is usually done at night outside so you don’t have to see what you’re eating. Either that or you wash the whole thing down with fiery gin. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/10 "2015-04-25T17:58:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Surprisingly, a few years ago while visiting my in-laws in the Phoenix are, I saw both chicken and duck balut on sale at an Asian grocery store in Chandler (I believe). I was not feeling brave enough that day to try. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen balut on sale at a store so far. I’ve seen them exactly once at Fresh Farms in Niles. I passed at the time, soon regretted it and, of course, have never, ever seen them again. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/11 "2015-04-25T18:29:59Z")
Thanks all for the replies so far. Food like this fascinates me, because I cannot imagine how hungry the first person must have been to actually try one. I cannot personally imagine how hungry I’d have to be to even come close to eating one on purpose. I can’t eat something that is actually looking back at me. (Yes, I know the duckling isn’t alive, but that eyeball looks alive enough.) And from what I saw, there is an actual method to preparing these things, so it wouldn’t be like someone stumbling on an egg in a nest, opening it and seeing the state of the embryo and saying “bottoms up!” Then, after enjoying it, starting a production facitilty so family and friends could start enjoying them also. > [@even\_sven](#): > > I tried it in the Philippines. You drink the juice first, which is actually pleasantly brothy. Then you eat the egg. I’m sorry to report its all pretty much a blur of trying not to gag. > > It was very common everywhere I went. Around sunset every day, street vendors would make the rounds with them. They are also a common bar snack. The reputation is that they are good for the libido. Every time I hear a food is good for the libido, it seems like it is a food that most folks wouldn’t want to eat. I guess it is a good marketing tagline, but I wonder if there is any truth to the claim. I’ve heard the same thing about mountain oysters, and no… I’ve never wanted to try one of those either. Let my libido suffer! **Terminus Est** - thanks for sharing about the consistency of the ducking. I suspected as much, but looking into the egg would indicate otherwise. I can’t imagine something with feathers would go down easy. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/12 "2015-04-25T21:58:11Z")
Not so much for the libido as it is for strengthening one’s knees, so goes the belief. I suppose strong knees are a requisite for good sex. “Pampatibay ng tuhod.” ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/13 "2015-04-25T22:04:03Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > They used to eat that on Fear Factor. DO NOT WANT. They’ve eaten them on _Survivor_ too. That’s pretty much the only circumstance in which I’d consider eating a balut – if there was a million-dollar prize at stake. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/14 "2015-04-26T01:36:29Z")
It’s funny, I was thinking about balut this morning. I had two broody hens sitting on eggs. Valentine’s hatch date was yesterday. Three of the eggs hatched, and she abandoned the ones that weren’t hatched yet to tend to the chicks, who had gotten out of the nest. The other hen, Eve, had eggs that weren’t due to hatch for 2 weeks, so they were 7 days developed. I decided to sacrifice those eggs and give her the abandoned but hatching eggs from Valentine. Anyway, I had ten chicken eggs with 7 day old embryos in them. It seemed too gross to feed to the dogs, but then I remembered balut, and decided it was OK. The dogs didn’t seem too offended. They still looked pretty damn gross to me. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/15 "2015-04-26T01:48:48Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > And from what I saw, there is an actual method to preparing these things, so it wouldn’t be like someone stumbling on an egg in a nest, opening it and seeing the state of the embryo and saying “bottoms up!” Then, after enjoying it, starting a production facitilty so family and friends could start enjoying them also. 😕 You prepare them just like hard boiled eggs, by boiling. So I imagine someone originally got a fertilized egg in a batch of otherwise ordinary unfertilized eggs, and ate it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2015, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/balut-balot-anyone-try-it-and-your-thoughts/718481/16 "2015-04-26T15:23:43Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > 😕 You prepare them just like hard boiled eggs, by boiling. So I imagine someone originally got a fertilized egg in a batch of otherwise ordinary unfertilized eggs, and ate it anyway. Well, when you put it that way, it sounds much more plausible than my scenario. 😃