NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 1, 2022

Contact: Oodaalolly Chocolate


Oodaalolly Chocolate Announces Chocolate Balut,

The Ultimate Easter Egg Alternative



SAN FRANCISCO, California - Available for a limited time for the first time in North America, Oodaalolly Chocolate announces the release of chocolate balut. 

  • This product is rare—the creamy/chewy eggs are only produced on Kuak Kuak island in the Sulu Sea.  

  • The eggs come from a single duck species—theobroma platyrhynchos.

  • The eggs have a one-year shelf life, but are hard not to consume, hence the limited number of duck breeding pairs in the wild.

  • Oodaalolly’s import license allows for a limited annual quota—finite quantities available.  

Late last year, Oodaalolly secured an exclusive license to import a small amount of chocolate balut from Kuak Kuak, one of the most mysterious of the 7,100 islands in the Philippine archipelago. In addition to its shroud of mystery, it is also the only known location with environmental conditions suitable for theobroma platyrhynchos, the only duck species that can produce this tasty treat. 

The Discovery

“Tales of legendary chocolate balut have persisted throughout Philippine history,” says Oodaalolly founder Hernan Lauber, “I thought it was a myth.” His business partner, Jeremy Burnich, thought there was something more to the stories.  “In my Filipino research, I came across a strange map and compass.  For some reason, I just had to see if the rumors were true.” Both were optimistic and quickly formed an expedition. 

After many weeks of sailing, the intrepid adventurers saw a strange island shrouded in clouds and rainbows off in the distance.  They anchored offshore, thinking it was a likely prospect, and seeing it had not appeared in any navigational charts (or on google maps). As soon as they set foot on the island, an intoxicatingly rich caramel aroma burst forth. It turns out Jeremy had stepped in duck shit, which meant they were on the right island. 

They soon came upon a Dalaketnon settlement. After a 14-day quarantine and vaccination regimen, Hernan and Jeremy were allowed to talk to the elvish folk who called Kuak Kuak home.  And that is when they learned how chocolate balut came to be. 

The Process

The combination of Kuak Kuak’s unique flora and fauna and the peculiar physiological traits of the waterfowl enable the balut transmutation to occur.  Their diet also plays a crucial role in the production of the balut.  They eat cacao pod pulp and beans, along with the buds of a local rubber tree, and wash everything down with carabao milk and a type of natural lambanog that seems to form in inland pools and lagoons. 

The birds will offer the eggs as a gift if you play them some music. They prefer modal jazz but are quite open-minded. They will trade two of their precious eggs to the band if they particularly enjoy a live set.  

The Chocolate Balut

With permission, some eggs were shipped back to Oodaalolly’s testing lab atop the Transamerica Pyramid. Lab results indicated that the majority of the balut consisted of three ingredients—cacao, sugar, and milk. Further analysis of the embryonic portions showed high glucose concentrations and a gelatinous substrate similar to “gummy candy.”

The eggs, naturally tempered and polished, exhibit over 600 different aromatic compounds, many of which are only found in chocolate balut.  When the egg is bitten, a heady taste and squishiness fills your mouth, which seems to provoke a feeling of happiness and squeamishness at the same time. No adverse effects have been reported—unless you are lactose intolerant, then, don’t eat a chocolate balut.

The Presentation

Not wanting to re-invent the wheel, Oodaalolly uses 4-cell egg cartons for their imported chocolate balut. Each carton is hand shrink wrapped to limit unwanted contamination.  

Furthermore, the curse of the chocolate balut—which hangs over each egg like a sword of Damocles if a balut is stolen from the island—has been removed by the Dalaketnon as part of Oodaalolly’s export license. DO NOT APPROACH, LOOK AT, OR TAUNT A STOLEN CHOCOLATE BALUT. 

Limited Annual Quota

Oodaalolly agreed to import a limited quantity of chocolate balut. 

Oodaalolly is proud to have worked with Dalaketnon officials, the Kuak Kuak duck council, and Swissair to import these special chocolate balut eggs to the United States. 

Four chocolate balut eggs retail for $17.79 — that's what the ducks said they had to be, so that’s the price they have to be. 

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About Oodaalolly Chocolate

Oodaalolly is what you’d exclaim after biting into something amazing and you need to express exuberant delight or all-encompassing joy.  

In 2017, Filipino-American and the son of a Swiss chocolate maker, Hernan Lauber, founded Oodaalolly in San Francisco, California.  He blazed a new path in his family’s chocolate heritage by blending the best of his upbringing's two cultures. Oodaalolly focuses exclusively on direct trade sourcing of natural ingredients from the Philippines, combines them with time-honored family recipes and techniques, and creates award-winning chocolate.

Oodalolly On Social Media: Facebook, Spotify, Instagram

About Kuak Kuak Island and Chocolate Balut

Kuak Kuak is a mysterious and hidden island located somewhere in the Sulu Sea inhabited by Dalaketnon. It is a land of tropical beaches, hot springs, and world-class skiing—home of the Kuak Kuak Invitational every 35 human years. 

Kuak Kuak Nation On Social Media: n/a