Who invented birds nest soup?
Bird’s nest soup (Traditional Chinese: 燕窩; pinyin: Yàn wō) is a delicacy[1] in Chinese cuisine. A few species of swift, namely cave swifts, are renowned for building the nests used to produce the soup’s unique texture. Such edible bird’s nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. The nests have been traditionally consumed in China for over four-hundred years, most often as Birds Nest Soup.[2] When dissolved in water, the birds’ nests have a gelatinous texture. Bird’s nest soup can either be served as a savory soup or sweet, as Tong Sui. The most heavily harvested nests are from the White-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) and the Black-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus maximus) (Gausset, 2004). The white nests and the “red blood” nests are supposedly rich in nutrients which are traditionally believed to provide health benefits, such as aiding digestion, raising libido, improving the voice, alleviating asthma, increasing concentration, and an overall benefit to th
