6. Bird’s Nest Soup

Image Credit: MorgueFile

Sounds almost like something from a recipe book for kids, doesn’t it? One might arrange noodles in the shape of a bird’s nest or something to the delight of giggling toddlers. Well, it’s actually nothing of the sort. Consumers of this dish in China reportedly seek nests constructed by a particular species of swallow that builds by using a kind of adhesive that it secretes to bind the twigs that make up its nest. The nest is actually used to prepare the soup which reportedly has a rather rubber-like taste which is probably attributable to that natural glue the swallow uses to bind its nest. Like many other Chinese dishes, it is said to have an aphrodisiac effect on those who consume it.