I think this might be the yuckiest looking food I have come across so far in researching for this site. Although we have no hestitation in eating eggs, or even young animals (not usually birds, but still) – this just pushes all of the ‘eww’ buttons in my brain.

Balut is a fertilised duck (sometimes chicken) egg that is at the stage of development that there is a nearly developed embryo inside. The egg is then boiled and usually eaten with salt, just like a normal boiled egg.

So where is this deliciousness eaten? Well in the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam it is actually quite common. You can easily pick one up from a street vendor, no need for a fancy restaurant in this case. Though in the Philippines in particular, popularity is increasing and you can now pick up your pre-baby duck in an omlette or even baked in pastries.

Interestingly, the age of the egg before it is cooked varies between cultures. In the Philippines, the perfect Balut is 17 days old, the point where the chick does not have beak, bones or feathers. In Vietnam however, they prefer their Balut to be 19-21 days old, the point at which the bones of the chick will be firm, but they soften considerably when cooked. In case it’s hard to imagine what a 17-21 day duck foetus looks like, here is a 15 day old egg floating in hot sauce.

(also spelled Baloot, Baalut, Baluge, or Balute.)

I think this might be the yuckiest looking food I have come across so far in researching for this site. Although we have no hestitation in eating eggs, or even young animals (not usually birds, but still) – this just pushes all of the ‘eww’ buttons in my brain.

And here’s one I believe is more towards the 21 day mark:

I’ll never look at my fried egg quite the same way again.