The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-09-09
Bird,s.Nest Soup.

OF the delicious birds nest soup eaten
in China everybody has heard; but every
body has not been privileged to partake
ef THAT Most delectable of all Oriental
dainties. The nests are formed of the
secretions of a species of swallow, called
by naturalists Hiruado escutentd, be-
aus their dwellings, are eaten. These
birds are common on most of the islands
of the Indian Archipelagoes, but their
headquarters are Sumatra, Java, and
Borneo. They build their nests over
shelving rocks, in places that would
seem to be inaccessible to man.
But such Is the demand for this dainty,
and SO high its market value, that hun
dreds of men spend their whole lives in
the perilous work of collecting the nests
from deep caverns, by torchlight, and
overhanging rocks, frightful cliffs, and
~precipices, such as make the head grow
dizzy even to think of, and whence the
slightest loss of footing must prove fatal
to the adventurer. Multitudes of others
are constantly employed in separating
with delicate tweezers the feathers and
other impurities from the gelatinous por-
ton of the nests, and In washing and
tdrying them In preparation for the mar
ket. fta 4.t,fes es4s,-r~ 80, Hem
The bird makes its first nest of a gela-
tine produced from its own body, with
out any foreign admixture; but when
deprived of this, being unable TO secrete
a sufficient quantity of the gluten for
another, he mixes In the second a con-
siderable portion of sticks, feathers, and
dried grass, thus rendering the nest fan
less desirable for edible purposes.
Again, however, the rapacious hunter,
Lying in wait for his Prey, turns out the
homeless bird, and bears off the prize
and when, for the third time, the little
architect rears his home, it is composed
almost entirely of stubble, with the
slightest possible admixture of gelatine.
This last nest being comparatively
worthless for food, the poor little builder
is ordinarily allowed to retain possession
and rears its family without farther
size of a small tee-eup, and an eighth O
an inch In thickness, weighing scarcely
half DIN ouilce each.
The first nests collected ate of a pun,
creamy wtiteness, and bring readil,,
twice their own weight in silver dollars
These require little cleansing, only t.
be dried and packed; but the secon'
gathering must be carefully picked over
and thoroughly washed. The nests thu
losing their original lusciousness
their market value is proportion
! ately diminished, and they sell for abou
eighteen or twenty dollars per pound
the poorest as low as six or eight. Eve
the third nests arc occasionally taker
but they bring a mere trife, and are onl
3 used by those whose ~epicurean tastes e.
, !, coed the length of their purses.
! Whole streets in Canton are occupie
. by the preparers and vendors of birds
r nests and about a million and a half
. dollars are annually expended by Il
I Chinese in the purchase of this daint.
! which, when rendered into soup or jell,
5 the Celestial regards as the most delec
+ able of food. @inu0.iS e
e The nests are first soakedin waite
!. then boiled to a jelly, and finally, swiI
ming in O rich gravy composed of I'll
expressed juice of the %coeoanut, Wi
various spices and condiments, they a
placed ON the table-a rich, pulpy mas
. and truly delicious. IS. Nicholas +
September.