The Humble Tortang Talong Is the Best Egg Dish in the World

Last week, the world discovered something Filipinos have always known but have probably never given a second thought about—that eggplant omelets are lit. 

TasteAtlas, an “encyclopedia of flavors,” released a list of their audience’s best-rated egg dishes in the world. Out of 182 contenders, the Filipino dish tortang talong came out on top—at least for a time. The dishes are always open to ratings, so the rankings constantly change. While currently bumped down to seventh place, tortang talong still beats (catch that?) Spain’s tortilla de patata, Japan’s tamagoyaki, and the United States’ eggs benedict. 

Though the rankings have changed, the overwhelming local opinion on the humble Filipino dish has not. The news seems to have rallied tortang talong’s almost cultish following, with thousands of people reacting to the announcement and hundreds going off about tortang talong in multiple comments sections. 

Many say the ubiquitous yet formerly unsung dish is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Some argue that it’s more of an eggplant dish than an egg dish. Others share the many ways they make it. 

Tortang talong is usually made with just two ingredients: eggplant (talong) and eggs (which make the former a torta). It's prepared by roasting the eggplant, peeling it, slicing it open, dipping it in beaten eggs, then pan-frying it until it’s golden brown. Sometimes, people add ground meat or diced vegetables. However it’s made, it’s normally served with white rice and dips like banana ketchup and vinegar with chilies. 

Tortang talong is eaten throughout the day, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or merienda (snacks between meals). It’s a staple in households as well as in carinderias (eateries) around the country. Some go for crunch and crisp, others softness. 

The beauty of the dish is its simplicity. For many people short on time, energy, resources, kitchen equipment, or culinary prowess, it’s a go-to meal that’s pretty easy to eat and pretty difficult to fuck up. There’s no pressure to practice any kind of sorcery to make the eggs fluffy, runny, or however other dishes demand them to be. It’s just a fried egg-coated eggplant that’s smokier than a regular omelet and egg-ier than a roasted eggplant. 

For non-fans, the simplicity of the dish is also its downfall. It’s over easy, so to speak. 

Still, it’s not surprising that tortang talong made it to a list of best-rated egg dishes in the world. After all, it’s not the first time an unassuming Filipino favorite rose to fame through the internet. There was avocado with ice and milk a few months ago, and ube (purple yam) years before.

On the other end of the spectrum is balut, the infamous Filipino fertilized duck egg delicacy, which TasteAlas currently ranks one of the worst egg dishes in the world—worse than Italy’s deviled eggs and China’s century egg. Of course, the many Filipinos who eat it daily probably wouldn’t agree. 

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