As much as Filipinos rave about its flavors, local delicacies aren’t exactly for everyone—take Benny Blanco’s “disrespectful” Jollibee review, for example (yikes). Several have attempted to embrace the country’s exotic pallet, including Grammy Award-winning artist Cardi B who shared her first experience with balut through TikTok.
@iamcardib #balutegg ♬ original sound – Cardi B
Giving her best Keith Lee impression, the “WAP” hitmaker seemed excited to crack open the fertilized duck embryo, initially commenting on its size, taking medical precautions for her stomach, and pairing the dish with lemon, salt, and pepper. She uncovered the outer shell and took a sip of the balut, retching upon first contact.
“I’m just going to hold my nose, and I’m gonna just think,” she said, consuming the soup.
The rest of the video showcased Cardi B’s disfavor of the Filipino street vendor staple, though it appeared as if she was pleasantly surprised upon dissecting the egg. She dipped the baby duck in her lemon mixture, tried it, and spat it out almost immediately, describing its consistency as “very meaty,” comparing it to an “uncooked chicken,” mentioned that it was “too gamey,” and that had “too much of a meat scent.”
She continued justifying her preference for “cooked” dishes, though approved of its soup. Her stance remains inconclusive, deciding not to rate the balut and that it was just “not for her.”
“I’m just gonna say that it’s just not for me, but I’m so glad that I tried it…Maybe I did it wrong. Maybe I need to eat it from somebody that knows how to cook it because I couldn’t,” she added.
