Vietnam seeks millions for edible Birds Spit Soup industry

The edible nests, shown here cleaned and soaked, are as much as 70 percent protein, one reason aristocracy has consumed the delicacy for thousands of years, according to Massimo Marcone, an associate professor of food science at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

Vietnam seeks millions for edible Birds Spit Soup industry

Photographer: Jerry Redfern/LightRocket via Getty Images In Vietnam, where the average income is $151 a month, Mai Vu and husband David Nguyen routinely spend $250 on edible Birds Spit Soup. The couple accounts for the soaring appetite among Vietnam’s young and upwardly mobile population for one of the world’s most expensive foods, congealed saliva of Asian swiftlets. The country’s expanding middle class hungers for healthy food. Birds Spit Soup is believed to ward off diseases and feeds a growing demand for luxury products. “It’s one of the most valuable products one can give to those who have everything,” said Vu, 28, who works at an international bank in Hanoi and was shopping for Birds Spit Soup for her toddler daughter at a new, upscale mall. “You want to impress people.” The demand for Birds Spit Soup, once reserved for emperors and their courts, has created a global market with annual revenue as high as $5 billion that caters to Asia’s growing wealthy consumers, said Tok Teng Sai, president of the Federation of Malaysian Birds Spit Soup Merchants Association. Vietnam is racing to catch up with Malaysia and Indonesia, the region’s top producers of the delicacy, and cash in on the demand. “People have a lot of money now, especially people…

10 Things You Need To Know Before Buying Birds Spit Soup This Chinese New Year

I’ve heard plenty of stories about Birds Spit Soup. It’s great for infants, excellent for pregnant women, helps keep the elderly from falling ill… the list goes on. It almost seems like everyone can benefit from a bowl or three of Birds Spit Soup.

Before you buy Birds Spit Soup this Chinese New Year, or at any time of the year, really, here are 10 things you absolutely need to know.

1. You’re drinking swiftlet saliva

I’ll be honest here - I don’t actually know what goes into Birds Spit Soup. I know it’s a nest, as the name implies, but that’s as far as my understanding goes. But what exactly am I drinking?
The nests that go into making Birds Spit Soup, come specifically from swiftlets. Constructed by the male swiftlet in preparation for his wifey to lay eggs, the nest is made almost entirely out of his saliva.
Yeah, I know, sounds super gross. But before you completely write-off having Birds Spit Soup for the rest of your life, you should know that these saliva-nests are rich in calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and loads of other stuff that’s good for us. Plus, after cooking, it has a really strong egg white aroma that makes it smell pretty tasty. So keep on drinking!

2. The real benefits of Birds Spit Soup

Google the benefits of drinking Birds Spit Soup, and you’ll find 1001 different touted perks. Multiple sources will tell you different things, like how Birds Spit Soup can improve overall immunity, or speed up the recovery process after an illness. Researchers are still trying to find out what exactly it is about Birds Spit Soup that makes it so good for you, but there is some common consensus.
Water-soluble protein from the swiftlet saliva contain amino acids which are the building blocks of cells, and can be found in abundance in a single Birds Spit Soup.They also contain hormones like testosterone and estradiol, which play the role of regulating important bodily functions.
It has also been proven that nests contain substances that promote tissue regeneration and cell growth, as well as boost your immune system to keep you from catching that dreaded flu bug. Though there’s still a fair bit of research that needs to be done, so far, it seems like Birds Spit Soups are definitely doing us a world of good.

3. The traditional way of harvesting Birds Spit Soup is dangerous

Swiftlets build their nests are high up in coastal caves of Southeast Asia, in places such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. And harvesters often face considerable amounts of danger having to scale the cave walls with harnesses, ropes and ladders. One false move could lead to an untimely end.
On top of that,a lot of effort goes into cleaning them and removing any impurities in order to make them fit for consumption. That would explain why cave Birds Spit Soups, harvested from up high, are so incredibly expensive - a lot of work goes into getting them onto your dining table.
Watch this video to find out all the nitty-gritty behind harvesting cave nests:
Thankfully nowadays, there are special houses set up for swiftlets that provide a safe, cleaner space for them to build their nests. Some people might think that this involves holding the swiftlets captive, but the houses are more of a public space - the birds come and go as they please, and it’s just an overall less dangerous environment for both bird and man.

4. What exactly is a ‘golden-grade’ Birds Spit Soup?

Much like we have different grades for our exams, there is also a grading system in place for the grading of Birds Spit Soups. Though different companies use different names to grade their Birds Spit Soups, the means of categorisation are the same.
The highest grade of Birds Spit Soup is the purest, because it’s 90% edible upon harvesting and requires the least amount of processing to get it ready for consumption. Birds Spit Soup of this grade have thicker strands, have a stronger aroma when cooked, and are often white, gold, or blood-red in colour.
The size and colour of the Birds Spit Soup also has a part to play. The larger the nest, the higher the price, and if it’s a unique colour like gold or red, you can bet it’ll fetch a pretty penny because it’s much rarer.
Nests that are 50% and 10% edible upon harvesting, fall respectively under the second and third grade - and their prices range accordingly. The nests of of these grades bear a crispier consistency when cooked as the fibres are less compact.
Note: Almost all of the Birds Spit Soup products you find readily available in supermarkets are made from nests of the lowest grade. So if you’re looking to drink quality Birds Spit Soup, it’s best to buy and make your own.

5. Identifying a fake

The Birds Spit Soup industry is a lucrative one. And as with every industry, there are always some unscrupulous folks out there, who will go to great lengths to cheat you of your money. The issue of fake Birds Spit Soups is more widespread and rampant than you think, but we’ve got your back. Here’s how to be a savvy Birds Spit Soup shopper:
Method 1: First and foremost, save yourself the potential drama and buy your Birds Spit Soup from an established retailer. They’ve been in the business for a long time, and usually have an excellent track record.
Method 2: Prior to your purchase, inspect the colour and shape of the Birds Spit Soup. The real deal should be translucent in colour, but never reflective or a pure white. Additionally, as Birds Spit Soups are a byproduct of nature, no two are 100% identical. So if you see several Birds Spit Soups in the same shop that look exactly the same, the chances are, they’re manufactured.
Method 3: Put your sense of smell to the test. A real Birds Spit Soup should smell raw and “fishy” in its uncooked state. If it smells like plastic or has no discernible aroma, you shouldn’t touch that thing with a ten foot pole.
Method 4: Though usually not a method we would recommended during your pre-purchase process, real Birds Spit Soups are fragile and break easily. So if you find yourself with a piece that’s tough as a board, you know what you’ve got!
Method 5: If you soak the Birds Spit Soup in water and the water changes colour after a few hours, you’ll probably want to dispose of it ASAP. Fake nests are dyed unnatural colours to fool people into believing that they’re a higher grade, so the colour leaches out during the soaking process. With real Birds Spit Soup, the water should remain clear throughout.

6. You aren’t actually depriving a bird of its home

One of the major controversies surrounding Birds Spit Soup is, the worry that supporting the industry deprives these little swiftlets of their homes. Where are the baby birds going to stay?
Fear not. Once the baby birds learn how to fly, the entire family abandons the nest for an adventure in the skies. During the next mating season, the swiftlets then build another nest - so your baby swiftlets are not left homeless.
Most companies employ ethical practices when sourcing for Birds Spit Soups, so you can now buy Birds Spit Soup with a peace of mind.
If we still haven’t managed to convince you that the harvesting of Birds Spit Soup are 100% swiftlet-friendly, you can always speak to the retailers for greater assurance.

7. Bottled Birds Spit Soup aren’t the best

My mother claims her favourite grade of Birds Spit Soup is “the instant kind” - the ones which come pre-bottled, and readily available at many supermarkets. It’s convenient, easy, and you don’t need to wait hours for the soup to boil.
Sound pretty great so far? You might want to know, that in actuality, these bottled Birds Spit Soups are far from great. While they still yield the benefits as a regular Birds Spit Soup, they’re often high in sugar. Excessive consumption of bottled Birds Spit Soup can lead to excessive weight gain, which in turn comes with a host of health problems like high cholesterol and diabetes.
This defeats the purpose of consuming Birds Spit Soup at all!

8. How to boil your own Birds Spit Soup

The best way to get 100% Birds Spit Soup goodness is to boil your own. The process is a bit of an arduous and time-consuming one, but it’s well worth the effort. According to Company’s Nest, here’s how you do it.
Ingredients:
1 piece Company's Nest
1 bowl of water
A handful of rock sugar to taste
3 pieces red dates (optional)
2 pieces dried longan (optional)
5 pieces wolfberries (optional)
3 pieces American Ginseng Slices (optional)

Steps:

1. Soak the Birds Spit Soup overnight, for 8 - 10 hours, until it has expanded and softened
2. Pluck out any remaining feathers or impurities with kitchen tweezers
3. Add the clean Birds Spit Soup, 1 rice bowl of water, and other ingredients of your choice a small bowl before covering it with a lid
4. Place the small bowl into a large pot, and fill the pot with enough water so that half of your small bowl is submerged
5. Ensure that the water in the large pot is boiling before covering the pot - leave to boil for 15mins
6. Remove Birds Spit Soup from heat and stir in rock sugar to taste - let the mixture sit for about 5 mins Your Birds Spit Soup is ready!

It’s best consumed chilled or at room temperature, so be sure to let it cool before digging in.
While boiling your own Birds Spit Soup definitely requires more effort, you’ll have full control over the ingredients and can pimp it to your liking. Wolfberries? Fruit? Less sugar? It’s all up to you.

9. You can do more than just drink Birds Spit Soup

Traditionally, Birds Spit Soup is consumed either hot or cold as a soup. But did you know that there’s so much more you can do with your Birds Spit Soup?
How about adding it to the filling of your egg tarts for something that’s both tasty and nutritious? Or try giving traditional jelly an extra oomph by mixing some Birds Spit Soup in with your gelatin? Instead of using rock sugar, why not make your Birds Spit Soup a savoury one with mushrooms, fish maw, and scallop or even a delicious congee.
There are so many ways you can enjoy Birds Spit Soup - so don’t hold back!

10. Birds Spit Soup can cost nearly $4,000

One of the nicknames given to Birds Spit Soup, especially the creamy-white nests of the highest grade, is “white gold”. These nests take the cake for being one of the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. 1kg of Birds Spit Soup can cost as much as S$3,560! That’s more than one year’s worth of polytechnic tuition fees.
While it seems like an awful lot of money to pay for something that seems like glorified swiftlet spit, when you think about the incredible slew of its touted benefits, and the risks taken to harvest them, the hefty price tag starts to make sense.
However, not all quality Birds Spit Soup requires you to spend a fortune - Company’s Nest gives you excellent Birds Spit Soup at a fraction of the cost of other retailers. Their highest grade of Birds Spit Soup retails at S$259 for 50g, which is a pretty good deal.
Be a savvy Birds Spit Soup buyer!
Now that this crash course has made you a junior Birds Spit Soup connoisseur, whether you’re buying it for yourself or getting it as a gift for someone, you’re now equipped with the knowledge to make sure what you’re paying for is 100% legit!
This lunar new year, instead of the usual Niangao - why not give the gift of Birds Spit Soup instead? With prices starting from S$318 for 100g, this beautiful gift set from Company’s Nest is bound to delight your relatives, and make you the star of your reunion dinner.