Tortang talong named best egg dish, balut ranked worst in the world by TasteAtlas

Two popular Filipino dishes have made the best and worst lists in Taste Atlas's latest ranking of egg dishes around the world.

Among the food website's roundup of egg dishes worldwide posted on August 7, Tortang Talong or eggplant omelette ranks among the best, while Balut is considered one the worst, according to their audience poll.

Tortang talong, rated 4.7 stars out of 5, is a fried Filipino egg dish prepared with whole roasted eggplants coated in beaten eggs and seasoned with salt and pepper for taste. 

The eggplant omelette can be pan-fried for a few minutes until its edges are crispy, leaving the center soft and silky.

It is best dipped with banana ketchup and served with fried rice with tomatoes on the side, bringing out a superb Filipino meal. It can also be prepared with meat and other vegetables to elevate the delicacy. 

TasteAtlas's website reads: "Inexpensive and quickly prepared, tortang talong can be enjoyed at any time of day as a hearty breakfast, lunch, or dinner." The egg dish usually costs around 50 pesos.  

Balut, on the other hand, has one of the worst audience ratings with just 2.7 stars. Balut, a famous yet unusual Filipino food, is a hard-boiled duck egg commonly sold as street food.

"It is a duck egg that has been hard-boiled, fertilized, and incubated. Traditionally, the cooked embryo is consumed straight from the shell," TasteAtlas noted.

The unusual egg dish can be seasoned with vinegar, salt, chili, and garlic. "It is still a poor man's meal in the Philippines," the food guide added. 

Balut has previously been featured on "extreme" eating challenges in international reality shows like Fear Factor and Survivor.