Balut and Penoy

photo courtesy of Egg on a Stick

Balut
Lyrics

I
Halos araw-araw sa tapat ng aming bahay
Mayrong isang babaeng lagi nang nagdaraan
Sulong ay bilao kung lumakad ay paimbay
At ang wika ay ganito sa gitna ng daan

Chorus A:
Balut, penoy, balot
Bili na kayo ng itlog na balot
Sapagkat itong balot
ay mainam na gamot
sa mga taong laging nanlalambot.

Chorus B:
Balut, penoy, balot
Bili na kayo ng itlog na balot
Sapagkat itong balot
ay pampalipas ng pagod
at mabisang pampalakas ng tuhod.

Bili na kayo ng aming balot

II
Ale, aleng tindera magkakano po isa
Tatlong piso po lamang
Kung gayon ay pakibigyan kahit ilan.

Balut, penoy, balot
Bili na kayo ng itlog na balot
Sapagkat itong balot
ay pampalipas ng pagod
at mabisang pampalakas ng tuhod.

Interlude

Repeat I
Corus A
Chorus B

Penoy, balot
Penoy, balot
Penoy, balot (Fading)

A song that was popularized by Ms. Katy dela Cruz many years ago and loved by  a lot of Filipinos.  The song is about balut and penoy, a Filipino delicacy known everywhere you go.  Some foreigners would probably choose to eat penoy than balut though.  Both are hardboiled eggs but they're not the ordinary hardboiled egg that you usually do at home.  Penoy is a bit similar to the ordinary hardboiled eggs but the texture of the egg yolks and the taste is a bit different.  Penoy has more flavor and might have soupy yolks or softer.  Duck eggs that are already fertilized and then hardboiled are the baluts.  Usually it's a one day old duckling that the balut makers use.  They have chicks which might have different sizes.  The ideal balut though is 17 days old from hatching which is called balut sa puti.  The best ones are those coming from Pateros. It is still well known for its production even to the present.  Known for being good aphrodisiac, males would usually be the one consuming these delicacy more than females.  However, baluts are not for those faint of heart and blood pressure problem as it is found to increase the blood presure especially when combined with beer or chicharon (peddled by balut vendors during the night).

In our family, it was just my father and my brother who would usually eat balut.  I love eating the yolks though.  Whenever we bought baluts before, I would usually let my father or brother to eat the chick first before I eat the balut.  I just love the taste of the egg yolks!  My brother tried to get my hubby eat a balut years back...teaching him the proper way of eating etc etc....and guess what?  It didn't work with my husband!  He did not like balut at all that even up to now if someone would ask him if he is able to eat  a balut in the Philippines, he would always say, he would never ever eat baluts...heheheh.

While we were watching Luke Nguyen's Vietnam, a foodtravel cooking show hosted by a Vietnamese - Aussie, Luke Nguyen, we saw him eating balut in Vietnam.  That's where we found out that is also a local delicacy in that country and it is usually eaten with beer.  Vietnamese calls balut, trung vit lon.  Cambodians know it as pong tia koon.

sources:  pateros.gov.ph; Luke Nguyen's Vietnam TV show
photo: courtesy of Egg on a Stick
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