I had heard that eating partially developed duck embryo was a delicacy in certain parts of the world. Balut, as they call it in the Philippines, was always featured on those Food Network/Travel Channel "grossest foods" series (which I find annoying, but more on that another time). But when I came to Southeast Asia this winter, it was not really on my list of culinary delights to sample (and that list was very, very long).
Then, walking around downtown Hoi An, Vietnam late one night last December, my friends and I spied some women sitting on the street corner in little plastic chairs, eating something with great concentration and gusto. We were all very hungry. What are you eating? we asked.
"Vit lon," they told us. The vendor, an old woman in a kerchief, took an egg out of a red plastic bucket, put it on a plate with a little pile of salt and some herbs, and handed it to me, along with a doll-sized spoon. "Don't look, just eat," advised a younger patron. She motioned for me to crack the top of the egg with the spoon and suck out of the liquid. I did. Then, against good advice, I peered inside the shell: Tiny, sodden feathers, brownish membranes, translucent bones.
But you know what? It was tasty. Really. Like regular soft-boiled egg cooked with a bit of liver or kidneys or something else slightly gamey and meaty. Not bad at all for a midnight snack.
Has anyone else tried balut/vit lon? Liked it? What other unusual (per your culture) foods have you tried?
2-03-2009 @2:33PM benjamin sTone said... Somebody sent me balut once, but it broke in the mail. :(
I still eat other hideous foods...So You Don't Have To.
http://benchilada.livejournal.com/tag/so+you+don't+have+to
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2-03-2009 @3:13PM wm said... Balut, according to Filipino folklore, is a great aphrodisiac. Also strengthens one's knees (just the knees)and has the same chemical feeling/effect of chocolate. May be a good Valentine treat. No?
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2-03-2009 @7:40PM jOHN! said... I've had it, and it's pretty good. Don't even need the salt. It's like having a meaty egg.
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2-03-2009 @3:37PM Jonny said... it's the perfect snack/mini meal. you get a little egg and a little meat too.
I've been to the Philippines twice, and each time it was on the "to eat" list.
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2-03-2009 @4:05PM Dorothy said... I've never had balut, but I've had snake, raccoon, blood, dog, alligator, and the normal things like rabbit and frogs
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2-03-2009 @4:43PM Dom said... I've tried the balut and it's yummy. Just ignore the feather, membrane and bones. I swallow it straight. I'm hungry now. Usually sold at night and vendors will holler, baluuuttt, and people will start coming out of their houses. I miss the Philippines. Just a plug, visit El Nido Resort in Palawan, nothing compares (even Hawaii, Bora or Bali). Survivor Sweden is filming there now.
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2-03-2009 @9:03PM piccola said... I'm not a sissy eater -- I've eaten natto, stinky tofu and all sorts of weird plants -- but as a vegetarian, I'd like a warning before I'm served a duck embryo. Especially since eggs are often a safe food in foreign contries.
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2-03-2009 @9:44PM Kat said... I'd like a warning before having to see it, much less eat it.
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2-04-2009 @9:51AM Alex said... I agree with Piccol - as a vegetarian, I would be pretty horrified if someone gave me balut and didn't warn me.
And I'm with Kat - it would be nice if this picture was AFTER the jump with a little warning so I could put my hand over the sreen. Most things don't bother me, but I'm really not a fan of pictures of eyeballs or balut.
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2-04-2009 @2:47PM Jena said... I don't consider myself a sissy eater--in fact, I might be the most adventurous of everyone in my family--but I don't know if I could eat this. The feathers weird me out (way more than the eye).
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2-04-2009 @3:05PM Raine said... I don't understand why you want it to be covered... do you want people to keep their cows in the barn all the time?
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2-05-2009 @12:06PM Gary said... Why are you vegetarians eating eggs in the first place? It's liquid chicken! (or duck, as the case may be)
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2-08-2009 @12:31PM Gobo said... No, Gary, an egg is not "liquid chicken". It's not meat, and it's never been alive.
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