when tourists go to certain countries they try to experience the best authentic relaxation, fun and adventure that the country has to offer and trying to experience the cultural experience whether its the place, the sights, the animals, the people or the food. here in the philippines with its diverse culture it's no new story. in the philippines there are many things to see, many things to hear, and many things to taste. filipinos love to eat, because we eat 5-6 times a day, no joke!, there is breakfast, recess or break, lunch, ;merienda usually at 3 pm, dinner and finally there is midnight snack. see?... in travel shows i often see the host ask a foreigner about ;what do you like about the philippines?","are you enjoying you stay", "what are your favorite food?, then the host would ask "have you tried balut?" this is where the fun begins because you can see the different expressions of how grose they were or how yummy it was and i tell you its an enjoyable viewing experience leaving you glue to your seat seing how this people can handle the balut.

the balut, a balut is a fertilized duck egg that is 16-18 days old. and no longer than that, it has an embryo inside, and once you open it you will see the embryo together with the yolk. there are two kinds of balut the one's that has an embryo inside and the one that has none we call this type of balut as "penoy". people who dislike it said that its grose because you can taste the embryo very much, its soft bones,and not too mention its underdeveloped feathers, but to most who liked it there is only one word to describe it "masarap" (delicious). some said it's delicious while others said it's grose, but it's different when you taste it yourself, after all what not delicious to others is delicious to you. the balut is not just present in the philippines, it is also present in cambodia and vietnam but has become a popular filipino delicacy. this filipino delicacy is most famous to all beer drinkers, this is also popular in our country's TV shows eating challenge.

it's very healthy,it's packed with protein and is believed to be an aphrodisiac, and not to mention all the benefits of egg present inside its shell.

in the philippines, this is present in all places, it's availability is no different from durian. here the sellers of balut sell it in stalls or bikes, it's pratically everywhere and you wont miss it because vendors would shout BALUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTT.....

if you want a complete cultural experience in the philippines try balut. pilipinos take pride in eating balut, it may noy be a national food but it sure beats hunger. some pilipino said if you dont eat balut you will miss half of your life, i say if you dont taste balut you will regret that you didnt because you havent tasted one of the popular foods of the filipino, and will miss the big part of the whole cultural experience.