Would you eat duck embryo for a better sex life, or a hangover cure? Balut, the Philippines favou

“Balut is a popular street food delicacy. It is a good source of protein and supposedly, calcium. It is also considered a good hangover cure and is believed to strengthen knees and joints,” says Myrna Segismundo, an expert in Filipino cuisine who promotes it in her native Philippines and abroad through food festivals, lectures, cooking demonstrations and culinary competitions.

She adds, “There is also a song extolling the virtues of eating balut, particularly its aphrodisiac qualities and benefits to male virility.”

Dennis Villanueva, a Philippines native and co-founder and owner of Delicious Catering HK, agrees. “It has been known to be an aphrodisiac,” he says. “It is said to be a conductor of heat and give power boosts of energy to people who have eaten it. This is probably why people who eat balut are more inclined to desire sex.”

“Balut is still considered an affordable poor man’s meal. It is normally sold in the evenings with sellers setting up their stalls after dark, normally on street corners. It is considered one of the national foods of the Philippines.”

Those thoughts are supported by academic Margaret Magat. In her book, Balut: Fertilized Eggs and the Making of Culinary Capital in the Filipino Diaspora, she wrote, “Symbolic and material explanations can illuminate the reasons why people would eat embryonic duck eggs. Although it is always eaten boiled, and never raw, eating balut requires the consumption of something in the fetal stage, and psychological, cultural and socio-economic factors must all be considered. Balut is consumed by Filipino males for its alleged aphrodisiac properties, while women eat it for reasons such as energy and nutrition, but never as a sexual stimulant.”

Chinese origins

While balut is now predominantly associated with the Philippines, it is thought to have been introduced to the country by Chinese traders who settled in the area of Laguna de Bay in the late 16th century. In Chinese, these eggs are known as “mao dan”, which translates to feathered or hairy egg.

“The Tagalog word balut means wrap,” says Villanueva. “It has been recorded that the concept of eating fertilised duck eggs began in the 17th century. The Filipinos were influenced by the Chinese, and also Thai and Laotian. A lot of sociocultural factors dominate the balut market, but are different from the nutritional values it holds with the local people.”

The eggs can be incubated for up to 21-22 days, but the best, says Villanueva, are those aged 16-17 days. “The ones with longer incubation, for example 22 days, have grown more feathers and would be horrible for most.”

Beyond 17 days the chicks are visibly more developed.

Alan Davidson writes in the Oxford Companion to Food that the fertilised duck egg is “savoured for the variety of textures within: the broth, the young chick, and the yolk”.

The taste test

While Segismundo is knowledgeable about the eggs, she is no fan. “I was 21 years old when I dared to eat balut, with eyes closed, just before leaving to live and work in New York. I thought to myself, I might as well try it, for me it was not a pleasant experience. Now, I eat it occasionally but no cravings. I would describe it as tasting like a more flavourful egg.”

The first time I tried it myself, I too closed my eyes. The second time with eyes wide open I found the partially formed duck confronting, and like Segismundo I found it to taste intensely eggy.

Villanueva, has been a fan for ages. “I think I had my first balut at a very early age and loved them, I still do,” he says. “The best way to eat balut is when it’s piping hot after being steamed or boiled and either dipped in spicy sauce or on its own, and always with an iced cold beer.”

He admits that it is an “acquired taste and not everyone will like the texture”.

Beyond street food

Balut has even made its way from pure street food to restaurant cuisine.

“There is a dish popularised by Glenda Barretto, the doyenne of Philippine cuisine, called sorpresa de balut (balut surprise) served in a soup cup topped with pastry dough. It is delicious!” says Segismundo.

Villanueva says, “A balut dish I enjoyed in Manila is called balut sisig. It’s sautéed balut with some aromatics and served on a sizzling hotplate, garnished with finely chopped fresh spring onions.”

It also features as an alternative to chicken in Adobo and as a flavouring for gelato.

A matter of perspective

Segismundo feels that balut’s appearance puts off many people, but that many other foods can be equally off-putting.

“If only for the seemingly unpleasant sight and thought of it all, the experience of eating balut can be no different from eating foie gras, a force-fed goose liver; calf’s brains, escargot, bloody French lampreys and civet coffee.”

For those in Hong Kong wanting to try balut, Villanueva says they can be bought at some of the Filipino stores in World Wide House in Central.

Fertilised duck eggs are also eaten in Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand.

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