Try balut. It is common in several Asian countries and even about as popular as hot dogs are in the USA in one particular Asian country.

When you go to a foreign country, you should try to go native, right? As in, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Thus, when you are in Manila or most any other Philippines town, buy balut from a street vendor and take off the shell to eat the delicacy on the spot. No salt is used or other flavour enhancer. The locals eat it just as it is.

You have seen it on the Survivor Show I suspect. At least, I have seen it on some episodes of the reality show. This is real food. It is best to eat without asking any questions, especially when you chomp down on something fuzzy or something somewhat solid. Eat and enjoy.

Someone wants to know what it is before they eat it. The answer is that it is an egg, a boiled egg. Not just any egg but a duck egg.

Let’s learn a little more. Duck eggs usually take around twenty-eight days to hatch. After a mother duck begins sitting on the eggs, she gets very weary of the long job. Around the twenty-sixth day, the eggs may show some signs of life; even a few may get a little hole through which the baby ducklings can get oxygen.

Balut is made from duck eggs that have been fertilized and have begun the incubation period. Around the fifteenth day, they are boiled. They are then bona-fide balut members.

Now, you know what makes them so special. There is a duck embryo inside the egg that is boiled. The body parts are well on their way to becoming perfect baby ducks. There is a head, sometimes some fuzz on their skin, bones and all of the unmentionable parts.

When in the Philippines, do as the Filipinos do. Enjoy crunching the skull and leg bones. Enjoy the cooked entrails’ flavor. If you are lucky, there may be a few baby feathers already in the formation stage. That should tickle your taste buds.

Bon appetite.