MANILA, Philippines — There's no mentioning the Philippines' unique fares without mentioning balut, a fertilized duck egg with embryo developed for a period of time.
While balut is a much loved Filipino delicacy, it is also much maligned for its revolting appearance and for having high cholesterol levels. One serving of balut has 80 calories, with 619 milligrams of cholesterol. But what if you can have a much healthier version of the balut?
At the press conference of the MaARTe Fair 8th edition, one of the participating exhibitors introduced us to the organic balut.
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Bobeep Arroyo, one of the distributors of the organic balut noted that their eggs have lower cholesterol levels because the eggs are much younger than the regular 18-day-old fertilized duck egg.
"Kapag mas bata kasi mas mababa ang cholesterol levels," Arroyo notes.
But what makes their balut organic is that the duck are not with antibiotics. Rather, they eat snails. Unlike the regular balut which only have a short shelf life, the organic balut can last for at most five days provided that they are placed in a refrigerator.
For the past few years, we have witnessed a change in the eating patterns of Filipinos. PhilCARE notes that going for healthier choices such as juicing and souping is among the "Top Health and Wellness Trends for 2016."
Businesses are also responding with the trend by constantly innovating and changing their business operations by including healthier versions of their menu to cater to the healthier choices of the Filipinos.