Balut

As you know, cultures around the world eat many different foods than our culture. One food that was truly strange to me in the Philippines was balut. I was hesitant to try it. What is balut? It is an egg. Yet it is uniquely prepared and if you are not use to it, you might think you are eating a science experiment. It is a chicken egg but it's partly developed. So when you break into it there is the surprise of a little chicken. It is mainly sold in the street markets. Other Asian cultures enjoy the treat as well, such as Vietnam and Thailand. The word balut means wrapped, which makes sense. It's a wrapped chicken. Well, sometimes it can be duck but my wife had me try chicken balut.

Although strange, It was pretty tasty when I took a bite. Yet I definitely would not eat it on a regular basis. I ate the yolk and the white, but I couldn't bring myself to eat the chicken. The egg yolk tastes pretty much like a hard boiled egg yolk. Yet the texture of the yolk is a little grainy. The egg white tastes similar to a hard boiled egg as well. The difference with the egg white is the hardness. it is solid and hard to chew. . Also, when you first open the top of the egg there is a broth that you sip out of it. It is an interesting food that my wife enjoys. On the other hand, I don't enjoy it that much. I'll keep eating my eggs sunny side up or scrambled. Different cultures, different taste buds, love breaks the differences, and not only the distance.

If you never had balut and you live in the U.S, you are in luck. There is a Filipino restaurant in New York City that sales it for $4. If you want to try it and you are in New York, then go to Maharlika, 111 1st Avenue, New York, NY, 10003. Here is their lunch menu http://maharlikanyc.com/lunch/.

So what do you think? Would you taste balut? If you live in the Philippines, do you like it?

#culturalfood