Why We Made a Balut Gummy

This isn’t Fear Factor. This is heritage.

Dear Flor Balut, our very first non-vegan-infused gummy.

We’re launching our most unexpected infused gummy yet: Balut.

Dear Flor’s Balut-infused gummy is our first non-vegan gummy and the first peeler gummy infused with THC. Inspired by the humble yet iconic Philippine street food, we made the first peeler gummy so that folks could experience the joy of peeling the egg open to reveal what looks like a baby duck inside—just like real balut. (Press Release)

For those folks who are unfamiliar with balut, it’s a fertilized duck egg that’s boiled and eaten warm, often with a pinch of salt and some vinegar. Depending on the maturity of the duck embryo, you might get a few bonus bits like some feathers or even beak. Balut is comforting, nutrient-rich, and full of cultural weight and according to everyone’s Tito Boy, it’s good for “stamina.”

Outside of the Philippines, it’s become something else.

Shows like Fear Factor took balut and made it into a dare. Balut became something that you might eat only if there were a lot of money in it for you after. It never was about the flavor (don’t knock it ‘til you try it). It was about watching white people with limited exposure to Filipino culture, flavors, or heritage attempt to choke down a balut for the shock value. And TV ratings.

When that’s the only exposure people have to balut, it sticks in our collective consciousness. It taints how we see ourselves and how we’re seen by others.

And that’s what we want to challenge. So we made a gummy.

Dear Flor’s Balut gummy starts out with a soft, white shell. Infused with ginger and lemongrass and a little sea salt to balance out the sweetness. Peel it back, just as you would with a real balut, to reveal a rich, custardy center made with duck essence and a whole lot of guts (speaking figuratively because this is candy after all). With 5mg of THC, it’s a little strange but comforting and layered with cultural nuance.

Just like balut.

Okay, so it’s not real. It’s an April Fools drop, but our intention behind it? It’s as real as it gets.

But man. What if we could make this gummy as a tribute to the foods that have always been part of us, even when the world told us they were too weird, too gross, too ick? Making our culture visible doesn’t mean we have to dial down the funk to make things palatable for everyone else.

Our food doesn’t need to be cleaned up or doctored before it can be shared. It’s bold, funky, nuanced, and sometimes a little weird—and that’s the beauty of it.

What’s strange to some is comforting to us. After all, we’ve spent generations assimilating. Maybe it’s time the world met us where we are for a change.