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Balut... Will you or will you NOT dare?

Balut. This is a Filipino street food that foreigners might find bizarre. Balut is a boiled fertilized duck embryo. Which can be often seen sold in the streets or by the vendor strolling around the town. The egg should be around 14 to 21 days old, depending on the local practice of the town. And it is boiled or steamed for about half an hour. It is eaten like a regular boiled chicken egg or swallowed whole, not including the hard part. It is best paired with salt and vinegar to compliment the taste. I eat it by putting it in a bowl first and sprinkle salt and put a bit of vinegar for seasoning. It's kinda messy when eaten without a bowl. It is, however, mostly eaten by cracking the top of the egg first and sipping the broth (juice) first and sprinkling salt and vinegar then eat the whole thing (except of course the shell and the white hard part). The hard part is white and the soft part is the yellow one (that's the yolk). Sometimes I do that cause the fun adds to the flavor. It has juice (broth) which actually very good in taste. Speaking of, balut tastes like a regular egg. The yolk is creamy and tastes like a scrambled egg. The embryo, which is the most feared to eat by foreigners (and some Filipinos that eats it the first time) is actually delicious and tastes like chicken. Some foreigners find Balut gross because of the embryo but there is a lighter type of balut that does not have that, it's called Balut Sa Puti or PENOY. It only has the yolk which tastes so creamy and a bit fishy, best resembles a scrambled egg, like what I mentioned earlier. Some say that it is surprisingly delicious, they didn't expect it because of the embryo. Many people say that Balut is an aphrodisiac and it gives a lot of energy, the reason why it is mostly sold at night. And is also believed that it may be a cure for a hangover. It costs about Php15($0.30) or Php16($0.32), not greater than that. But for those who love eating Balut (or thinking to eat balut because it's aphrodisiac), mind that eating too much of it is bad for your health (although it is high in protein and iron) because it is high in cholesterol. Balut has become part of the Filipino culture. It also considered exotic food, especially by foreigners. It is not so bad, the texture of the embryo maybe but the taste is not bad at all. The yolk is like a scrambled egg, the embryo and the broth tastes like chicken. I have included some youtube videos of foreigners trying to eat balut the first time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42sibaGVjY8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zP7yKUYnt8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAFEmaGWLTU **SO, the question is, WILL YOU OR WILL YOU NOT DARE? Let me know if you already tried one, how it tastes, and if you are willing or not to try one.**

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