On Mar 24, 11:50�am, "James Silverton" >
wrote:
> �J.Venning �wrote �on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:06:46 +0100:
>
> �JV> "James" > wrote in message
> ...
> �??>> Anyone have a good recipe for it?
> �??>> Are any good enough to fool anyone?
> �??>>
> �JV> � � Ever tried any of the other imitation sea food -
> �JV> imitation crab, imitation lobster claws, imitation king
> �JV> prawn ? J.
>
> What's special in taste about Bird's Nest Soup? I've never tried
> it but would I feel that it had a unique flavor if I did not
> know what it was called?

Birds nest has no flavor per se, like shark fin it's all about that
very gelatinous mouth feel... any flavor is added with additional
ingredients. Both are expensive because they are dangerous to
harvest.

bird's nest soup
A classic Chinese specialty made from the nest of an Asian bird
similar to the swift. These birds attach their nests to cavern walls
in Southeast Asia by using a gelatinous spit. Because of their
hazardous location, the nests are dangerous to collect and therefore
very expensive. White nests and black nests are the two types used.
The more desirable of the two are the white nests, composed mainly of
the weblike strands of saliva and containing few foreign particles.
Black nests contain feathers, twigs and insects and are labor
intensive to clean. Both types must be cleaned and soaked overnight
before using. They're available in Chinese markets.

� Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
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