The World of Rare Food: Bird's Nest Soup

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed)
Jan 30th 2008 at 9:03AM

Call it a delicacy, unusual, strange or down-right gross, some rare foods can turn your stomach or delight the palette. You may have tried escargot, haggis, intestines, liver or tongue but that's nothing compared to these rarities.

Ever tried hedgehogs or cock's combs? Who knew that shark fins make decadent soups... they can be found in Hong Kong, Singapore and North America. Australian's consider kangaroo tail ragout and sugar ants to be a real treat. Camel hump meat which is extremely tough and sour-tasting has been enjoyed by Arabs and western Chinese for years. And although elephant meat is tough, it's feet and trunk surprisingly are not.

One item I think is truly bizarre and has garnered the name of "Caviar of the East" -- bird's nest soup. Served in China for over 400 years, the primary ingredient are saliva nests built by cave swifts. Among one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans it is believed to aid digestion, raise libido, and even alleviate asthma as it is dissolved in water to create a gelatinous soup. In Hong Kong, a bowl of bird's nest soup would cost between $10 and $30, a kilogram of white bird's nest can cost up to $2,000 per gram, and a kilogram of red bird's nest for as much as $10,000!

I've tried alligator, rattlesnake, and rocky mountain oysters but that's the extent of my culinary tasting prowess. There are rare culinary dishes all around the world to test your boundaries and your wallets.

Tags: birds-nest-soup, camel-hump, cock's-comb, hedgehog, kangaroo-tail, rare-food, shark-fin, sugar-ant

Filed under: Dining

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Andrew Jan 30th 2008 9:20AM

I used to have this a few times a year back in Taiwan. Sure there's the "whoa I'm eating expensive stuff!" but I'll be damned if it didn't taste like crap.

davidallenblair Jan 30th 2008 12:25PM

It's probably not a great idea to promote eating shark fin, being as how that's one of the threats that put sharks closer and closer to becoming endangered.

artifex Jan 30th 2008 3:19PM

It is gross, but beyond that the techniques of gathering birds' nests are dangerous to the gatherers (at least for those who gather from cliffs) and can damage the ecosystem.

Catherine Jan 30th 2008 9:15PM

Hey, honestly, bird's nest soup is nice. It's very common to eat bird's nest where I come from (Singapore), as it's supposed to be great for the complexion and for "cooling down" the body - something we really need in this humid part of the world. Bird's nest in different grades is easily available in stores, i.e. even your just-around-the-corner neighbourhood store may sell bird's nest. So it's hardly a rarity and not expensive, if you go for the average grade. Do try it if you happen to come by our "exotic" island.

Tiffany2047 Jan 31st 2008 3:15PM

GROSS!! Spit soup.

Baron Jan 31st 2008 5:03PM

Eating unusual food is my life
come by the site for a bite!
www.underbellynyc.com

Baron Ambrosia

Hagan Kelly Jan 31st 2008 7:08PM

I had understood, some years ago when I served in the U.S. Navy that there were restaurants in Hong Kong that would serve fresh Monkey Brains....Opened up at your table. I believe that it had been "Outlawed" but I believe that anything was available in Hong Kong for a price. Having no desire to see this spectacle or partake of the "Delicacy", I inquired no further. I am curious, however, to know if that is still an offered entree' somewhere, and if so, can anyone describe it??

Hagan Kelly Jan 31st 2008 7:11PM

Sultry Feb 2nd 2008 8:23PM

I heard a few years back that Monkey brains was a delicacy, I also hear that it was best eaten warm, which meant the monkey was a fresh kill at table side. Ewww! excuse me I'm going to be sick.

WAG Feb 2nd 2008 8:51PM

At that price ,I can't wait till spring!...ya see I have alot of sparrows that nest in the back yonder.....I love and respect nature ...but heck...there are so many sparrows back there.....I'm sure if I took only about 1/3rd of the nests it would'nt make 'em extinct.....on top of that ...I'd sell the nests 100th of the price them orientals sell them for....or maybe even cheaper.

WAG Feb 4th 2008 4:21PM

Scott Feb 2nd 2008 8:52PM

I used to travel to HK 4 times a year spending up to 6 weeks at a time. I never saw a monkey there and have been told they no longer do that. If you want to see what it looks like, check out a video called faces of death.

Sunny Feb 2nd 2008 9:01PM

Mmmmmmm.
Soup made from bird spit.
Yummy.

emcee Feb 2nd 2008 9:02PM

Money that could be spent feeding an entire colony of starving Africans...is spent on the consumption of a spit-based broth. It just doesn't get more messed up than that.

James Di Pietro Feb 2nd 2008 9:04PM

Monkey brains, pig eyes, foot long slugs, snake hearts, elephant foot, camel hump, bird nest saliva..... all costing a ton of money and all tasting like crap and does NOT do anything for asthma, your libido or aid digestion. I will take a plate of pasta, onion soup, cheese and egg omelete, Caesar salad and strawberries and bananas with whipped cream. And my stomach will thank me !

Jean Feb 2nd 2008 10:08PM

How nasty! Surely there are better things on earth to eat than these horrible things. Bird's Nest soup is nothing but filthy! I am so thankful I am vegeterian. Certain horrible things that some people eat are astounding! Thank God for the USA and their culture. Dogs and cats are pets in our country, and we feed the birds and other wildlife for their survival.
Surely these poor folks could do better than eat such nasty things. You are, what you eat! I have always heard!

B Feb 2nd 2008 10:08PM

THIS STINKS!!!!

misjon2 Feb 2nd 2008 10:27PM

Yes they do still eat monkey, lion, tiger, etc. parts over there and sell them too. There was a special on it not too long ago. A restaurant owner gave the guy a regular menu, but the guy inquired as to something else and the owner had the guy pull a different menu out from the bench he was sitting on!

So no, that crap has not stopped. And yes, it still goes on over there! That crap is disgusting.

mm Feb 2nd 2008 10:35PM

Dr Tim, and girly07 -- it is a question of culture. The two of you may not have much experience with other cultures; but there are Americans who are cannibals. Remember Jeffery Domer? What about animals like Berkowitz, J W Gacy, etc? It simply out rageous for you denounce an entire race like that. Make sure your house is clean first.