The Last Traditional Balut Vendor

‘Balut’ is a fertilized duck egg that is incubated for 18 days and is a known delicacy in the Philippines and in some other countries in Asia. Here, It is commonly sold by street vendors and is rich in protein and other nutrients. Pateros is a small municipality in Metro Manila and is known as the “Balut Capital of the Philippines”.

Unfortunately, the pollution that plagued their rivers resulted to the inability of the city to breed ducks. This left the balut makers and vendors to outsource their raw materials to nearby towns and provinces. While the local and national government has been supporting programs to modernize and revive the balut industry in Pateros, there stands a man who continues to make balut the traditional way. Get to know the ‘Last Balut Vendor’ and the pioneers of balut making in Pateros as we discover the art behind one of the most iconic street foods in Asia.

Luisa’s Store - P. Herrera Street, Pateros City
Theresa Flores Balut and Salted Egg Store - 67 P. Rosales, Pateros, Metro Manila
Eleuterio Amahan Balutan - 25 Bagong Calzada St., Ususan, Taguig City

Jump to:
(0:00) Intro
(1:20) Nanay Luisa
(3:05) Theresa Flores
(3:50) What is Balut?
(4:19) Modern Balut Making
(5:50) Modern vs Traditional Balut
(6:52) Eleuterio Amahan, Traditional Balut Maker
(11:25) Taste Test
(14:09) Outro
-------------------------------

The Fat Kid Inside Studios

Erwan Heussaff - Founder
Kashka Gaddi - Content Producer
Eamonn Quizon - Cinematographer
Edel Cayetano - Story Producer
Harold Singzon - Story Producer
Kleo Balares - Editorial Producer
Julius Rivera - Videographer
Steven Sune - Editor
Lorraine Santos - Editor
Dana Blaze - Editor
Ivan Christian Cocjin - Editor
Martin Narisma - Food Editor
Kathryna de Bustos - Content Manager
Chester Velasco - Production Assistant
Kevin Amponin - Production Assistant
Dustin Dagamac - Colorist
Sofia Paderes - Graphic Designer
Kim Manuel - Graphic Designer
Roanne Salvacion - Accountant
Donalyn Aranda - Accounting Assistant
Interns:
Mary Lournette Baligod
Patricia Beatrice Te Seng
Hans Rivera
Mary Zarrahmaiden Cabrera
Alyssa Gwyneth King

Social Media:

[palespectre]

I don’t even eat Balut but I am so rooting for Mang Eleuterio. We need more people like him dedicated to keeping traditions alive.

[annabalinsayo]

Dapat yung mga ganitong natitirang traditional, should be preserved and gawing educational tourist spot. 😊

[mae]

Pwede nilang gawing tourist destination yung shop ni Mang Teryo to show yung traditional way of making balut, para additional income na din and to keep the tradition alive. Yung one of the remaining traditional Phyllo dough maker sa Greece ganon yung ginawa.

[maryannesantocildes]

Tatay reminds me of my papa 🥹 he's so dedicated!!! May God bless you even more.

[ceejcenteno]

It's good that FEATR got to show the artistry behind the traditional balut making. We just need to remember that technology is not the enemy here. Hindi dapat pinaglalaban ang mga trad an modern balut makers. Bagkus, dapat nating i-incorporate yung technology para mas mapayabong pa yung industriya ng pagbabalut sa Pateros. I believe that the incubator method was endorsed by DOST to people who wants to earn more sa pagbabalut, dahil totoo naman na mas high-yeilding at mas controlled and parameters sa incubator method. Sana magkaroon din ng project ang DOST to assess what kinds on tech ang kailangan naman ng mga traditional balut makers para mas lumago pa ang business nila.

[bellegianwaffles]

Loved this short food documentary! Learned a lot about traditional balut making. I felt the care and thought put into the planning and making of this video. Thank you, FEATR!

[ninap]

erwan needs his own bigger platform the whole team behind these blends so much it shows

[maryannesantocildes]

I love how you feature these kinds of people plus the tradition ♥️

[ladyvozz]

Another legacy of FEATR.

Congratulations!

Lagi ko talaga papanoorin ang bawat feature nyo. Ansaya maging Pinoy pag napapanood ko ang food vlog nyo. Proud Pinoy here.

[yangluvslyf]

My family and I loves balut. I grew up eating traditionally made balut and we always get 18 days over 17 or 16. We have a go to place, Carmen, Davao del Norte. i miss those days. I am so happy to watch this.

[kamoteking]

Really appreciate the history of foods you guys provide.

[monicabagonamarkande]

Wow! Didn't know that our traditional Balut is so meticulously hard to make! I have even more respect to Balut vendors and makers now. I love Balut!

[spoonv]

I'm interested in eating balut again, but I'll make it a thing when I visit Pateros! Happy to watch all your videos, because they're so rich with info from the source, but just enough to make we want to get out there and get the rest of the story myself.

[MorningThief_]

Can't wait to have balut again when I go back home.
Although I wish the video explained more on how it's actually made, & how they get all that taste from inside the egg, how they cook it.

[patroclus]

It's so sad the some people don't eat balut, they are missing out a lot. Balut is one of the best egg/egg dish that I have ever tasted. It is a gourmet food in itself, it doesn't need any fancy ingredient, it just needs attention and dedication to produce a great tasting balut.

[Booyjoy]

This is what youtube is meant to be for. Thank you for making these FEATR.

[edsense]

Sana mas maraming Pilipino ang nanunuod ng mga ganitong videos sa Youtube para umangat nman critical thinking ng lahi ntin.

[gerrymarkgubantes]

sobrang solid talaga mga ganitong content from featr

[denzotmsc]

Na idol ko kaagad si mang eluterio napaka experyenxado at dedicated sa pagbabalut! Salute!

[RLV]

I really loved the method they're using in making these videos. The hypothesis at the end is great