BALUT Balut is a type of street food that is popular in the Philippines. It is a fertilized duck egg that is boiled and eaten in the shell, typically with a pinch of salt and some vinegar. Balut is thought to have been brought to the Philippines by Chinese traders more than a century ago. These eggs are called “máo dàn” (毛蛋) in Mandarin, which means “hairy egg”. The Filipinos made this snack their own and called it “balut” (pronounced “baa-loot”), which means “wrap” in Tagalog referring to a white film which covers the embryo.