| Dugmor |
12-19-2004 04:10 AM |
You wants some " Balut (Or "Balot" ) in Vegas ?
A few people have been contacting me and asking me what it tastes like. If you do not not know what it is .............
The wayward nature of the itik (native Filipino duck) must be the reason for an unusual Filipino delicacy - balut - a fertilised egg with a partially developed duckling, which is eaten boiled.
The itik is a poor mother. She does not sit on her eggs to warm them up till the time they are hatched. Hence, the eggs have to be incubated by man, which in the Philippines has been traditionally done in a home-scale hatchery called a balutan.
Only the strong-shelled and apparently fertile eggs are selected for balut-making. These are detected by "candling" and also by snapping the shell hard enough with the fingers to cause breakage of the thin shells.
The selected eggs are first incubated between bags of toasted palay (whole rice grains with husk) or ipa (rice husk) to stimulate the body temperature of the mother duck (42½C). The set-up is then layered with sako (burlap bags) to serve as insulators. Complete development or hatching takes place within 28 days of incubation. After six days the eggs are tested and those discovered to be infertile are itlog na maalat (salt-cured) or sold as sariwa (fresh). Those which are fertile but have failed to develop at normal speed are detected and separated on the 14th day of incubation. They are boiled and sold as penoy. Their appearance is similar to a hard-cooked duck egg. Eco, those containing dead embryos, are spoiled and have no market value.
The balut are those incubated up to the 18th day and which contain a healthy living embryo. Like penoy, they are boiled and eaten as a snack food. In fact, these two are sold together just as one is given a choice of coffee or tea. Filipinos are used to the calls of young street vendors peddling their wares: "Balut . . . penoy!"
I will take a few over for some of you guys and girls who want to try it !
CLICK ON THE THUMB FOR AN EXAMPLE :
http://www.webmastertour.com/picture...bnails/029.jpg |
