Balut: Gross food that I love on Fun Friday.

For today’s Fun Friday, our topic is to name at least one gross food that we love. Now, I can name a couple of gross foods that I like but I guess one is enough for this purpose lest you may think of me as a freak, lol.

Now, I have to warn you, this is really a gross food to most people and I don't mean to scare anybody, I'm just having fun here. You may have even seen this food eaten as one of the challenges in TV shows like Fear Factor or Survivor to disgust contestants but in the Philippines, balut or a boiled fertilized duck egg with nearly-developed embryo inside is a common street food. Most foreigners are grossed out by the idea but this food is popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein snack.


I love balut but I don’t eat it that often. The last time I ate one was three or four months ago. I don’t usually eat the chick but I like the juice and the yolk. I know people who can eat five or more baluts in one sitting (and they are not being paid to do it!). It is being sold at the street mostly at night time probably because it’s best to eat it in a dimly lit place so you wouldn’t see how it looks, lol.

But with all the positive vibes and the stigma attached to eating this food, balut has become part of the Filipino culture.