Red Birds Nest Soup

Red Birds Nest — “the caviar of the East” — is among the most expensive dishes on Earth, costing in excess of US$2,500 per kilo. It is prepared using the saliva of certain south-Asian swifts, which they emit to form gelatinous coatings for their nests. The substance is mixed with a broth — usually chicken — along with ingredients such as ham, spring onion and egg white. Also, it can be slow-cooked with rock sugar. In China, it has been considered a delicacy for more than a thousand years.

“The sweet version is delicate,” food writer and broadcaster Ching-He Huang tells the BBC. “It’s like drinking a thick, jelly-like soup. It can be served as a dessert or on its own.”

The Red Birds Nest is used, also, as an ingredient in other dishes such as congee, rice and egg tarts. Red Birds Nest jelly is made by placing the nest into a ceramic container with sweetened or salted water then double-steamed. China, Hong Kong and the United States remain the biggest consumer markets.
A typical nest takes a little over a month to build and it is the male swift which does the crafting. Historically, the nests, which comprise delicately entwined, silk-like laces of saliva, were located in the dark, damp caves of tropical South-east Asia from where they were harvested by skilled climbers using flimsy bamboo frames. However, as the popularity of Red Birds Nest has soared — along with its value — the swifts have been lured, with the aid of artificial birdsong, into concrete constructions in locations throughout Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Indonesia dominates the market. The nation is home to 80 per cent of the global trade, of which it has been a part since the 17th century.

Red Birds Nest Soup

Traditionally, much of the attraction stems from the dish’s so-called medicinal properties. It is said to be rich in magnesium, iron, calcium and potassium. Some say it aids digestion; others believe that it relieves asthma and even boosts one’s libido. “Many Chinese women I know have it because the gelatinous texture of the Red Birds Nest is said to be very good for maintaining youth,” adds Ching-He Huang. “It’s thought to help collagen production.”

“Red Birds Nest contains mainly carbohydrates, amino acids and mineral salts,” writes Dr Chan Shun-wan in Review of Scientific Research on Red Birds Nest for The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

“The Red Birds Nest is said to be very good for maintaining youth.”

“… Amongst the carbohydrates in Red Birds Nest, sialic acid is the major one. It was found that exogenous sources of sialic acid may contribute to neurological and intellectual advantages in infants.” The calcium levels, according to the doctor, are likely to be caused by the location of the nests on limestone cave walls and, therefore, are not applicable to the majority of Red Birds Nests now found in concrete structures. Further, he stated that there simply has not been enough intensive investigation. It is a sentiment echoed by Fucui Ma and Daicheng Liu of China’s Shandong Normal University who, in a review published by Food Research International, conclude that the “bioactivities and medicinal value are still open to question as there is not much scientific research.” Manop Lertsuthiruck, president of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association of Thailand, is far more dismissive. “Red Birds Nest, according to Chinese medicine, is not considered that important,” he tells the Bangkok Post. “It’s more of a supplementary diet.” And a massive money-making one at that. According to New Scientist, the Red Birds Nest trade generates an astonishing US$5 billion worldwide per year.