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September 21, 2009

Bird’s Nest Soup

While we were in Phuket we did a day trip to PhiPhi Island and motored past PhiPhi Lei shown in the photos below. The locals harvest the bird’s nests to make the famous bird nest soup. The nests are made by swifts using saliva and you can see them hanging down from the cave ceilings.

Photobucket

Photobucket

The soup supposedly has many health properties such as aiding digestion and improving the immune system. Here’s a link to a recipe for the soup.

I’ve never tried bird’s nest soup, and I’m not sure I want to. It’s meant to be a gelatine-like substance and is full of iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Have you ever tasted Bird’s Nest soup?

9 Comments

  1. Joan Woods

    I have never tasted Bird’s Nest soup and don’t think I want to. I would love to win one of your books as I have never read any of your books.

  2. J.K. Coi

    Nope. Never tasted it. I doubt I ever will, but it looks like a fun trip :)

  3. Helen Hardt

    No, I haven’t tasted it, and like you, Shelley, I think I’ll pass, LOL.

  4. Roberta Harwell

    Hello Shelley,

    Sorry to say I’ve never tried Bird’s Nest Soup and to be perfectly honest, it sounds a little to healthy for me. LOL I stick to making my chicken noodle soup or vegetable beef soup. Have a great day.

  5. Fedora

    Yes, I’d had it more than once. It’s delicious, but I’d have no idea how to make it myself :)

  6. Amy Gallow

    Hi Shelley,
    I’ve spent more years than I care to remember working in and around the Far East and have sampled enough of the ethnic delicacies along the way not to inquire too closely about the ingredients until after I’ve tasted it.
    You missed a treat with bird’s nest soup.
    Amy

  7. Shelley Munro

    Joan – thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope you’ll visit again. :grin:

    JK – the islands were very pretty. It was very enjoyable.

  8. Shelley Munro

    Robeta – LOL. That’s a good excuse. It’s too healthy for me too!

    Fedora and Amy – to be honest we didn’t see it on the menu. Hubby likes to try all these things, but it didn’t sound very appetizing to me.

    One thing I should have mentioned was that because there is a shortage of the cave where the swifts nest, they’ve started to make artificial homes for the swifts to nest in. This seems to be working quite well.

  9. Christina Phillips

    Oh no, Seriously? They make the soup with birds saliva? Eww! I’ll pass on that one thanks!!! I like my nice pumpkin soup with black pepper!!!