Swallow Nest in Hong Kong Restaurants, China

Those who prefer the most expensive and exquisite delicacies have to taste a soup of swallow nests in China. A special kind of nest of swifts - swiftlets - is used to cook a delicacy. These birds build their nests in a special way; they form them out of saliva, which tends to harden quickly. Birds build shelters in very remote mountainous areas where access is not easy even to common predators, not to mention a man.

Gathering swallow nests in Asian countries is one of the most dangerous kinds of fishing. There are cases when people slip out steep cliffs and die. For this reason, nests of swiftlets are very expensive. Properly cooked meal of them is much more expensive. Travelers can also taste swallow nest soup in Japan and Malaysia. The business of breeding swiftlets is considered one of the most profitable activities among Malaysians.

Swallow's nests are often referred to as a white gold, because the cost of a kilogram of this delicacy is about 3 000 US dollars. Wealthy gourmands, who will order the soup of the swallow's nest in one of the elite restaurants, will have a plate of jelly-like muddy soup. It differs with quite a specific taste, which doesn’t please people. An appetite is usually spoiled by just looking on a slippery jelly-like mass. Guangdong is considered to be the homeland of this culinary masterpiece. There, many fans of exotic dishes prefer to taste the soup of swallow nests. The cost of the treat is usually around 100 dollars per serving. Next - Fried Grasshoppers in Bangkok Restaurants