Balut was featured in Fear Factor or other dares on international TV sitcoms where you actually get paid when you eat it. If all contestants were Filipino, most probably it would be like a peace of cake to perpetuate that certain act of munching on Balut. Is it something to fear about or be disgusted at, well, in a case to case basis. If you grew up in such culture where Balut is in it, and you certainly have developed the taste then it isn’t. But however put, Balut is a delicacy.

Above: Little girl eating balut

Not so different from other countries where they fry grasshoppers and other insects of some sort to eat, and even worms to fry or snakes blood to mix with wine. Balut is just the same as these. The only difference is, you get to hold it warm in your hand, crack it on the tip, put tiny salts to mix with it’s soup, drink that soup first, slurping it from the tiny crack opening you’ve made and walah!, the shell’s ready to be cracked open for it’s contents to be eaten. But to be honest it’s not good in presentation and if it’s your first time, you might as well eat it in the dark, but boy does it taste good.