The word
tukneneng originated from the 1978 Pinoy
Komiks series
Batute, illustrated by Vic Geronimo and created by Rene Villaroman. In the language of the protagonist, Batute,
tukneneng means "egg". In
Taytay, it is called
epalog, a portmanteau of
hepa (
hepatitis) and
itlog (egg), referring to the
yellowish skin associated with hepatitis. Another origin story involves a
balut vendor in
Cubao. Accidentally dropping the
balut they were selling, they peeled off the shells and deep-fried it in the batter instead of discarding it. This unexpected culinary experiment led to the creation of both
tokneneng and its close cousin,
kwek-kwek. ==See also==