Andrew Zimmern is off to the island nation of the Philippines. There he chows down on local favorites like 'balut,' crickets, stuffed frogs and even live worms!
On this journey, Andrew eats his way across two of the country's seven islands: Palawan, known for its stunning beaches; and Luzon, the largest island in the chain. Luzon is also home to the capital, Manila. Just outside this bustling city,Andrew finds a town known for making one of the most bizarre treats yet - 'balut'! Balut is a partially developed, 18-day-old duck embryo, still in its shell. To eat it, you crack the shell open, suck out the juice, and dig right into the duck itself. This dish is truly bizarre, yet Andrew finds it quite tasty!
From there, Andrew heads north to the culinary capital of the Philippines, Pampanga, where he feasts on local favorites harvested right from area rivers. Among other treats Andrew samples stuffed frog and sautéed crickets.
In the town of Angono, he enjoys an amazing meal at Balaw Balaw, a restaurant and art gallery known for its unusual foods. After another round of 'balut' (this time served in a soup), Andrew is more than ready to tackle 'uok' - a giant local worm harvested from fallen trees.
But that's nothing. In Angono, the 'uok' are sautéed. How about live worms, just pulled from the trees? That's what's on tap on the beautiful island of Palawan, Andrew's last stop. Still squirming away, the large, clear worms with giant screw-top heads are pulled from mangrove branches. All Andrew has to do is pull off the head, dip in some salt and down the hatch they go!
Manila
At various street vendors, Andrew ate roasted coconut and rice paste, shrimp pancake, deep-fried whole baby chicken and purple yam, along with cheese ice cream on a hamburger bun.
Angono
Balaw Balaw Restaurant: Andrew ate Soup No. 5, made from the butt and balls of a bull, 'uok' (giant coconut worms) and 'gin-a-tang-bi-low bi-low' (rice pudding with tapioca pearls).
Puerto Princesa, Palawan
Kinabuch's Restaurant: Andrew ate two kinds of local seaweed (one is like caviar), snails cooked with coconut milk and tuna collar.
Pampanga
Everybody's Café: Andrew ate 'dinuguan' (pork innards and pig's blood stew), crickets adobo style and frog stuffed with pork.
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