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Walking down Colon Street is an experience in itself. The Streets filled with shoppers darting in out of the run-down stores lining the road. Vendors fill the sidewalks, calling out to potential customers, hoping to offload some of their goods ranging from cheap electronics to pet animals.

The air is filled with the sound of a distinct style of techno music you would only find in The Philippines, the locals know what I’m talking about. The whole street is dominated by a stream of jeepneys that pass through Colon Street throughout the day, as the street is the main artery running through Cebu Cities commercial district.

Colon Street has a lot more significance in the history of the country than most people seem to realise. The street is actually believed to be the oldest in the country. Its origins have been traced back to the town plan created by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. The street was created as a part of the first Spanish settlement in Cebu, the Villa de San Miguel or St. Michael’s Town.

The street was named after Cristóbal Colón – The Spanish translation for Christopher Columbus – the Italian explorer known for his discovery of the “New World”, Christopher Columbus had been sailing for the Spanish monarchy despite his Italian heritage.

The evolution of Colon Street

Colon Street looks a lot different to what it had been back during its humble beginnings. Despite its run-down look plaguing the street these days, it once was the heart of Cebu City’s shopping and business activity. Before the ’90s the street was home to many fashionable shops, offices, and cinemas. Cebuanos would flock to commercial establishments in Colon like Plaza Fair, Gazini Plaza, Rosita’s, and Gaw Trading.

But once we entered the 90’s, the mall culture of America also found its way into The Philippines. Malls such as SM and Ayala began to spring up in other areas of Cebu City. This began to threaten businesses in Colon as shoppers moved towards Malls due to their air conditioning and relaxing ambience.

Colon Street had also been known as being a hub for prostitution. Many short-stay motels began to set up in the area offering cheap rates to for the booming industry. Colon Street is also home to many of Cebus universities. As Colon was previously known as a business hub, many universities were built in the area. These include the University of Cebu, University of the Visayas, University of San Carlos, and the University of San Jose-Recoletos.

Colon Street today

Colon Street still manages to attract large crowds on a daily basis. In recent years Colon Street has come back to life due to shoppers looking for cheap merchandise and reasonably priced goods from the many bargain stores. You can find almost anything in Colon, you can also be sure that the price will be a lot cheaper than what you would find in some of Cebus major malls.

Colon is also a crossroads for most of the major jeepney routes in Cebu. You will find it is often clogged with traffic, as the many jeepneys drop off and pick up passengers as they transit through the area. Jeepneys are available almost any time of day or night as Colon is a major hub within Cebu City; you will find even late at night there will still be many jeepneys available near Gaisano Metro Mall.

The street had also developed a bad reputation due to the snatchers in the area. Though some of the cities management have been fighting to shake that reputation. The roving police presence in the area has helped slowly re-establish security in the area, in turn helping to return the areas good reputation.

Recognising the history of Colon

An obelisk detailing Colon’s historical significance stands at its northern end. On either side of the street are markers on lampposts that contain information about the establishments or houses that used to be in the area. After the cities recognition as a site of historical significance in 1999; these markers were put in place to mark the significance of the landmarks.

The street is also connected to the old Chinese district of Cebu, Parian. Parian was where wealthy Filipino-Chinese businessmen used to live and sell their merchandise. The name Parian reportedly comes from “paripari”, which means “to sell or barter”.

Colon Street is a short jeepney ride from the centre of Cebu City. From Osmena Circle you can take a short jeepney ride there or simply take a taxi. It’s one of the most famous landmarks in Cebu, so you should not have trouble making your way there.

Balut is one aspect of a vibrant array of food eaten in the Philippines. Across the countries seven thousand islands, you will find local communities, all with their own unique delicacies. You will regularly find people enjoying sea urchin, worms, and chicken organs. This style of food can be purchased from street food vendors, and markets found across the country.

Within this street food scene, is where you will find Balut. It is often spoken about as a delicacy, though in modern day Philippines, it belongs more in the street food category. Delicacy implies luxury food items like truffles or caviar. Though it once could have been in that category, you will now find Balut being sold in places like the streets of Manila. The locals love the egg to be nice and hot, and love to wash it down with a cold beer.

So, let’s continue to see what this famous Filipino dish actually is.

So, what exactly is Balut?

Balut is a chicken or duck egg which is boiled or steamed. You then crack open the top of the shell, then pour some salt and vinegar to the top, some people add other toppings like chilli sauce to the egg.

Now, what makes Balut interesting is the egg is fertilised. The embryo is left to grow in the egg for around sixteen to twenty-one days. The egg is then cooked and served to customers with not only the yolk present inside, but also the embryo.

I know it doesn’t sound alluring, eating a half developed embryo isn’t everyone’s idea of a delicious snack. A lot of foreign tourists are put off by the sight of the egg. But many people do try it when they visit the country.

Most “first timers” will opt for an egg that is around the 16-week mark, as the embryo is less developed, the appearance is a little less intimidating. Although it looks off-putting, the taste of the hot egg with the salt and vinegar is actually quite nice.

Besides the large amounts of salt added to the egg, the dish isn’t completely bad for you. It contains all the usual health benefits from egg, as well as being rich in vitamin C, protein, calcium, and beta-carotene.

Where did Balut originate?

Balut began to emerge in the Philippines starting in the 16th century. The Chinese population in the country were primarily responsible for the adoption of the food in the Philippines. Before refrigerators were created, the Chinese use the fertilised duck eggs as a means of extending the shelf life of the eggs.

The global influence that comes with high levels of migration from south-east Asian nations can also not be ignored. The initial spread of Balut came from Chinese migration to nations such as the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Now with high levels of migration into western nations, you can now easily find Balut almost anywhere. It’s as easy as paying a visit to your local Asian supermarket.

Balut holds a particular cultural importance in Philippine history, now reaching the position of being the countries “national street food”. This demand for these fertilised eggs has helped strengthen the farming industry in the country. Ducks have become one of the most profitable livestock in the farming industry.

A lot of sociocultural factors dominate Balut market. These factors are different from the nutritional values. as it is a good source of protein and calcium. But that is not the primary reason why it is loved by Filipinos.

The home to this vibrant industry at one point was found in the nation’s capital of Manila. More particularly Pateros, a municipality within Manila.

Pateros held an estimated 400,000ducks, meaning this was the primary source of income for the residents in the area. During the 50s and 60s, this region was teaming with life due to the duck industry. The local makers had developed their own methods of creating Balut, and salted egg. This started from the careful selection of the egg through to the incubation and cooking process.

Unfortunately, this did not last. With the increasing pollution of Metro Manila came the downfall of the local duck industry. Through the 70s the industry began to move out to more environmentally friendly regions like Laguna.

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What is involved in preparing Balut?

Balut is prepared in a cautious and controlled manner. The technique used will determine whether or not you get the best flavours. All the techniques used have been traditionally learned by the local makers.

The fertilised eggs are first taken and incubated under the heat of the sun, or they may be buried in layers of sand. Then they are placed in bamboo baskets to sustain the warmth to help preserve the egg. After a period of nine days, the eggs are finally revealed to a light source to see the embryo inside.

The various stages of maturation of the egg and different controlled temperatures play a significant role to accentuate all the characteristics a good egg would have. The egg changes colour during the maturation period also.

Now, you may be wondering when is the egg ready to eat?

Well, the time of incubation of the egg before they are boiled depends on the locals, which vary from 14 to 18 days. After cooking, the eggshell is cracked open, this is were you will familiarise yourself with the primary parts of the dish.

First you’ll notice a mix of the embryo and the egg yolk peering through the crack in the shell,if you then tip the egg, you’ll find the broth inside that everyone loves to drink. Then at the end you’ll find the hard rubbery part known as the rock. The whole process of making and consuming Balut is in itself an experience.

So when visiting the Philippines, it will be hard to avoid trying Balut. You can find it everywhere these days. Most of it you will find is the mass-produced style, these are made at large commercial farms where the ducks receive a generic feed.

Some of the exotic restaurants which cater to tourists have their own version of the Balut where it is had with a lot of spices and salts. This Balut is often sourced from more boutique farms, where they pay special attention to the kind of food they give their ducks to ensure they achieve the highest quality egg.

So, as you can see, the simple act of enjoying Balut is a means to immerse yourself in the local culture of the Filipinos and have a first-hand experience of their traditions.

The preparation techniques of Balut have evolved in modern day life, and I’m sure will continue to develop into the future. This makes Balut one of Philippine’s widely sought after dish; now you can try one too.

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History Of Cebus Notorious Colon Street