Back Door Bird's Nests

Another bird nest shop was emptied of its stock in an overnight B & E.

The goods were worth $250,000, which is a lot of money for bird saliva.

It's true: bird's nest soup, the "caviar of the East", is not a euphemism. Made from the nests of black-nest or mossy-nest swiftlets, the soup is created by chefs who soak the nests until they fall apart. After filtering detritus such as twigs, foliage, insects, spiders and feathers, the saliva is extracted from the water, providing the soup's base.

Bird's nest soup is believed to promote longevity, aid digestion, stimulate appetite, prevent internal dryness and bestow a smooth complexion.

The nests are expensive because they're collected in hazardous locations, such as steep cliffs and cavern ceilings in Thailand and Indonesia. A single kilogram of nests can be worth more than US$1,000. Some Hong Kongers pay as much as US$60 for a bowl of the highest quality bird's nest soup.

No one knows what a bowl of black market bird's nest soup is worth, but somewhere, a Chiu Chow restaurant is saving a huge amount on overhead and making a tidy profit.

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