MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – It’s Easter and it’s time for an age-old tradition of the Easter egg hunt, an activity loved by children and adults alike.

Making Easter eggs has been problematic this year in the Philippines because of the shortage and exorbitant prices of chicken eggs.

But leave it to Filipino ingenuity to and resolve to deal with crises.

This year, some 80% of Easter eggs that will be used for the egg hunt will be made from balut.

Balut is a fertilized bird egg (usually a duck) which is incubated for a period of 14 to 21 days, and then steamed. The contents are eaten directly from the shell. Balut that is incubated for longer periods have a well-developed embryo and the features of the duckling are recognizable.

So this Easter week, don’t expect mamang magbabalut (balut vendor) to roam the streets selling the popular delicacy.