Balut: Fertilized Eggs and the Making of Culinary Capital in the Filipino Diaspora

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If you fancy yourself as an adventurous eater and still fancy trying balut, listen up. We’ve laid out a step by step guide to eating balut as the locals do.

Davidson, Alan (1999). "Balut". Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford University Press. pp. 53. ISBN 0192115790. Philippines in world record attempt for largest serving of balut". CNN Philippines. April 14, 2015 . Retrieved April 26, 2018.

The History Of The Balut Egg

They don’t vaccinate or medicate, but maintain a high standard of hygiene at all times and a dedicated team caring for the birds. a b "Balut" (PDF). CPHAZ. March 3, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 4, 2016 . Retrieved August 15, 2016.

Magat, Margaret (November 2019). Balut: Fertilized Eggs and the Making of Culinary Capital in the Filipino Diaspora. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781474280334. The best young brown birds are selected for egg production and are kept on a “free to fly” system, with all eggs collected daily by hand. Young quail start to lay at around 10-12 weeks old. Balut is best eaten when it’s warm, so better munch on it at once. Remember to wash before eating as you really have to use your bare hands.Calderon, J. (2014). "Balut: The Filipino delicacy that makes the world squirm". CNN . Retrieved March 24, 2016.

a b "Enhancing the value of eggs: How to make balut and century eggs". www.fftc.agnet.org . Retrieved August 15, 2016. The shelf life of a fresh quail is between eight to 12 days with birds sold in three dressed weights – 140g, 150g and 160g. All eggs are collected by hand and the birds get used to that, although it has to be done carefully. We find the birds will move out onto the veranda area when egg collection is under way,” says Ms Sharma.Temperature has a significant impact on the final taste and texture of the cooked balut. Warm temperatures of 29–30°C (84–86°F) change the taste and texture of the yolk by making it more grainy. This can be attributed to the changes in proteins, and their partial denaturation, during the heating and incubation process. [14] When boiling or cooking eggs, the white of the egg tends to solidify because the proteins are denatured in an irreversible reaction and turn from transparent to an opaque white. [15] Physical and chemical changes in the final balut product can also be attributed to microbial infections and the rate that microbes infect the balut at various stages. [14] According to the FDA Food Code, balut can perish over time or due to temperature changes. After being cooked, balut should be handled either at 57°C (135°F) and above, or kept at or below 5°C (41°F). [26] sell your eggs directly to consumers - for their own use - from your own farm or door to door in your local area Before diving into the taste, make sure you have the necessary seasoning nearby. It’s common to serve balut with a pinch of salt, some ground pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice. You’ll need these ingredients to enhance the overall flavor and bring out the best in terms of taste.

Food has been the focus of study among researchers in describing the socio-cultural landscape of a society. In some works, food is used as a point of discussion of history [ 11], policy development [ 12], and even societal hierarchies [ 13] and inequalities [ 14]. This current work contributes to the growing literature of food studies, as it traces the socio-historical narratives of the Filipino people in relation to the polarizing ethnic food called balut. Accordingly, the main objective of this study is to trace the history of balut making and consumption in the Philippines. In particular, this would be discussed according to five sub-objectives. First, this study aims to identify the factors that contributed to the discovery and patronage of balut by looking into the economic, social, and cultural contexts. Second, this study maps out the localities that popularized the balut industry in the country. Third, this study also intends to specify the key industries that started off the large scale production of balut. Fourth, this work discusses the local processes of making balut and the various ways of its consumption. It is through the latter three objectives by which this paper positions balut as a distinct Filipino food despite its wide distribution and patronage in Asia. They now produce about 15,000 Balut eggs each week, and that will increase to 18,000-22,000 in the fall and winter. Their incubators can hold about 30,000 quail eggs, and those intended for Balut are incubated for about 12 days. Nearly all of their Balut is consumed by various Vietnamese communities across the country. Balut is common street food in the Philippines and other localities, and is also sold in stores and malls. It is a relatively cheap source of protein and calcium. [5] Balut was introduced to the Philippines by the Chinese in 1565 [6] or around 1885 and since then, balut has been included as a traditional part of the culture. [7] Wherever Filipinos migrated for work, a large market for balut would develop. Controversies arose as knowledge of the food spread around the Southeast Asian countries and then globally. People have questioned the ethics of eating balut. [7] Ethical concerns are most often attributed to the presence of a fertilized embryo within the dish, given the fact that the egg has not yet hatched nor given the chance to hatch. [8] Preparation [ edit ] Balut in partially broken shells The younger the egg the better it is for some people because it’s more tender compared to a three-week-old egg. a b c R. Ehrlich, Paul. "Incubation: Heating Egg." Incubation: Heating Egg. Web. February 29, 2016.

Balut is found in some countries and locations of North America. While it cannot be found in every store in North America, specialty stores such as T&T, and, in particular, Filipino stores in the Greater Vancouver area, often sell balut. [22] In the United States, growers such as Metzer Farms specialize in balut production, spreading the knowledge of balut and its awareness. Not all Filipinos like it, so foreign people’s aversion to it is perfectly understandable. It does look repulsive to the uninitiated. Some countries and locations will serve balut raw, although this is not a common practice. "Raw," in this sense, could mean the balut was lightly boiled or cooked very briefly. [23] This is potentially dangerous since it increases the risk of spoiling and of ingesting harmful microorganisms. [7]