If there’s one dish that truly embodies a love-hate anthem of the palate, it’s the Philippines’ balut. Balut is a fertilized duck egg, boiled and eaten with the embryo partially developed. It teeters on the edge between liking it and loathing it, leaving you uncertain which side you’ll land on.
TasteAtlas, the experiential travel guide renowned for its authentic recipes and food critic reviews, recently declared balut the worst-rated egg dish on Aug. 16, 2024.
With a rating of 2.7, balut ranked as the worst among 52 entries. But don’t worry — many other Filipino dishes have secured top spots on the platform! For both lovers and haters of balut, all feelings are valid about its taste because it challenges our palates in ways few foods can that spark a passionate debate and that’s uniquely Filipino.
Meanwhile, here are some of the famous celebrities and their reactions to balut:
R’Bonney Nola Gabriel
Miss Universe 2022, Filipino-American beauty queen R’Bonney Nola Gabriel, had a moment of delicious rebellion when she “broke” her pescetarian diet — and what better place to do it than in Pateros, the Balut Capital of the world? With a playful grin, R’Bonney admitted, “Okay, I love eggs so that was kind of like an egg. I’m gonna rate that six and a half!”
Cardi B
American rapper Cardi B gave balut a shot, sharing the experience in a TikTok video that’s now racked up 4.2 million likes. In the video, she cracks the egg with a spoon, sprinkles some salt on it, and holds her nose before sipping the broth. Cardi explained that she prefers her food well-cooked and even avoids rare steaks. Being fair, she chose not to rate the egg, saying, “I’m not even gonna rate it 1 to 10. I’m just gonna say it’s just not for me. But I’m so glad that I tried it.”
Bretman Rock
Balut isn’t all bad — just ask Filipino-American social media star Bretman Rock. He’s posted several videos on his vlogs, reels, and TikToks, where he proudly declares his love for balut. Bretman can finish a couple of eggs in one sitting, sipping and chewing like a pro. Everyone watching him can’t help but drool. “My mom actually had cravings for it when she had me,” he explained.
Zac Efron
In a 2021 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, American actor Zac Efron shared a throwback video of himself eating balut at the top of a volcano in the Philippines. He explained to Jimmy and the audience how to eat it properly, saying, “It really wasn’t that bad. There was a hard part, like a beak and stuff, and I did not want to eat that, but I actually ate three more that day.”
Doja Cat
Even though she enjoys a strong fan base in the Philippines, some locals took issue with the American artist’s portrayal of the Filipino delicacy in her song titled after it. She described the title as symbolizing “a bird that’s being eaten alive,” drawing a parallel to the negativity on Twitter, now known as X. The Filipino community swiftly corrected her, noting that balut is often misunderstood as raw. In fact, balut is a fertilized duck egg that’s been boiled, with the embryo partially developed inside.