food

is this a trick question?

are you guys from decryptonite?

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chinesesouprecipes/r/swallowsnest.htm

Also known as Bird's Nest Soup, this sweet dessert soup is made from the nests of the swiftlet, a type of swallow.
Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:

2 ounces birds nest
7 to 8 tablespoons crushed rock sugar, or to taste
4 cups water

Preparation:
Prepare the bird's nest: soak it in cold water for several hours or overnight. Rinse well. Go over the nests and pick out any loose feathers.
Boil the bird's nests twice: Bring a pot of water to boil and simmer the bird's nests for about 5 minutes. Again, rinse well and squeeze dry.
Place the bird's nests in the pot and add the water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the bird's nests are quite soft (up to 2 hours). Add the rock sugar, stirring to dissolve. Serve the soup hot.

Note: You'll want to save this for a special occasion. Authentic bird's nests are quite expensive, not surprising given that the nests come from the hardened saliva of the swiftlet swallow. It could be a good choice for a romantic evening, as bird's nest is rumored to be an aphrodisiac.

You mean, to which food group does it belong?

What the? Probably has bird poop in it too.

Sounds wonderful

On a remarkabley similar thread, Ceili observed that the things were made of regurgitated fish. I suppose the nests would be considered "meat."

My former business partner saved birds' nests from some site demo jobs.

They were beautiful and different from each other.

I could not begin, now, to figure them out as part of a food group - I suppose vegetable with added protein.

I also don't know the history of the soup - that would be interesting. A function of starvation? Or something more elegant?


EDIT - just read Roger's post. So they aren't actual nests? Or nests near rivers?

My assumption is that they are actual nests, but not made with the usual assortment of twigs, feathers, and what-not. As Linkat mentions, there is probably a certain quantity of extraneous organic material included.

I tried bird's nest soup once. I tried shark's fin soup once too. I didn't feel the need or inclination to try either of them a second time.