Balut.

Basically, take a fertilized chicken embryo, boil and serve. I first heard about balut in the Philippines. My reaction was pretty much the same as most westerners; a look of horror, followed by one of intrigue.

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

The high-protein snack can be found in several countries throughout Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, salesmen ride around at night selling the tasty treat from a heated basket strapped on the back of their bikes. I even found a balut man on call in Malapascua, an island in the Philippines off Cebu. It’s common enough that visitors can find it easily.

People buy and sell balut from the back of a bike in Cebu City, Philippines. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Balut is sold at different ages. People looking for a safe balut choice should go for an 12-day-old egg that may just have a hard ball to spit out at the end (the texture felt like cartilage). The bold could try a 18-day-old egg that has already developed a bone structure and sometimes even feathers.

Peeling the shell from a more mature egg. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

People eat balut with a variety of condiments. People usually add salt, pepper, vinegar and chili. Balut doesn’t have to be chicken. Another popular option is duck. Below you can see Adam from Travels of Adam try duck balut in Vietnam.

Regardless of the age and the extras your egg comes with, the taste remains pretty similar.

After peeling off the top of my 16-day-old balut to reveal a harsh looking yolk in liquid, I sprinkled some salt and bit in.

Bobbi trying balut in Cebu City, Philippines. Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

And guess what?

It tasted just like a hard-boiled egg with a slight hint of chicken.

Despite bad looks and any bad images you may come up with when thinking of balut, the truth is that it’s not that strange a concept or a taste. It’s basically a better tasting hard-boiled egg with some crunchy bits.

Just make sure to spit those crunchy bits out!

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Any time I would dine with other people in Donsol, Philippines they would ask the waiter or waitress, “Can you recommend more dishes like the local ones you did before?”

Bicol is the local culture and dialect in Legazpi, Philippines and the city’s surrounding area, including Donsol. This special culture includes quite a few unique dishes people may not be able to find anywhere else in the world, but definitely won’t be able to find better anywhere else.

It’s always a better idea to taste the local cuisine when traveling, not just to try something new, but also because those are the dishes the locals best know how to make. That may be why Amor Farm Beach Resort in Donsol has a sign in its Kawnkita Restaurant that reads, “Bicol cuisine at its best,” with four suggestions of key Bicol dishes listed underneath.

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Kinunot P150

This dish features some kind of white flake fish, often sting ray or tuna, cooked coconut milk and malunggay, which is a popular tree that produces leaves similar to spinach. It’s very flavorful and can be quite spicy at times. A lot of dishes in Bicol cuisine are based in coconut milk and if you saw the endless amount of palm trees in the area, you would understand why.

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Adobadong Manok P175

A good choice for the not-so-adventurous eater, this dish includes sauteed chicken with coconut milk and papaya. It’s a mild dish similar to other several sauteed chicken dishes, but with a slight taste that makes it special.

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Laing P75

For the vegetarian, this dish has gabi taro leaves, which has a consistency similar to spinach when cooked leaves, cooked in coconut milk. The dish can also include ginger and taste very strong of it depending on whose cooking, Its quite a rich dish, so don’t be surprised if you can’t get through one serving.

Photo by Bobbi Lee Hitchon

Bicol Express P175

The name sounds westernized, but the tastes is like nothing outsiders have had before. They take pork and cook it in finger chillies and coconut milk. The mixture of spicy and sweet goes well with the meat, especially its fatty bits.

All dishes are served with rice.

Thanks to Amor Farm Beach Resort and Whaleshark Adventure and Tours for supporting my trip to Donsol.

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