Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Video: Duck Embryo Eating Contest Winner Ate 18 Embryos!
By
Carrie Dennis
Published Aug 27, 2012
Modified Aug 27, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Carrie Dennis
Published Aug 27, 2012
Modified Aug 27, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Saturday marked the first ever balut-eating contest at Dekalb Market, where anxious competitors elbowed one another for the opportunity to devour as many of the unborn duck fetuses as possible. But only one eater, Wayne Algeni, achieved gluttonous glory. Algenio, who also goes by "Wayney Wonder" won by consuming 18 eggs. "It tastes like an egg," he told a camera crew (second video below).
A regional specialty in the Philippines, balut is fertilized duck embryo that is boiled and eaten out of the shell, and usually modestly seasoned with salt and sugar cane vinegar. A great source of protein, it is also rumored to be an aphrodisiac. (Wayney Wonder's girlfriend must be psyched.) Also psyched: the aspiring competitive eater named Jill, who brought some good old American values to the East Asian delicacy, declaring, "I wasn't even thinking, I was just shoving it in my mouth!"
Tagged
balut
brooklyn
Competitive Eating
dekalb market
duck embryo
Carrie Dennis
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .