My quest to understand the appeal of bird's nest soup
燕窩的魅力何在?我試圖尋找答案
Since at least the 14th century swiftlets' nests have been popular in China and are usually boiled in a broth to make soup. Chinese emperors seem to have had a particular weakness for nest- eating and today the dish retains the aura of an imperial delicacy.
至少從14世紀開始，金絲燕的窩就在中國廣受歡迎，人們常常把它煮沸做成燕窩湯。中國古代的皇帝似乎都對燕窩情有獨鍾，時至今日，這種食品仍然保留著皇室佳餚的光環。
No one knows for certain how or why the fashion caught on. Some claim that Zheng He, who led China's great explorations overseas in the 15th century, brought bird's nests back from his voyages in Southeast Asia.
燕窩是怎麼流行起來的?原因又是什麼?這些問題沒有確切的答案。有人認為，鄭和在遠渡東南亞之後將燕窩第一次帶回中國，在15世紀時，他主導了中國一系列浩大的海外探索。
Such tales have helped maintain the value and status of bird's nests as a luxury. Today Dr Tan Boon Siong, a Chinese-Malaysian businessman who ships his nests across the Straits of Johor to wealthy ethnic Chinese Singaporeans, offers 30g of nests for around £130 ($170), enough for about three servings of soup.
這類傳說幫助維持了燕窩作為奢侈品的價值和地位。陳文雄博士(音)是一位馬來西亞籍華裔商人，從事燕窩生意。他的產品一般賣給柔佛海峽對岸富有的新加坡華人。30克燕窩，他要價130英鎊左右(約170美元)，大概是三碗燕窩湯的分量。
Nests are also treated as an elixir. Claims of their health benefits go back centuries. Many people in China believe that bird's nests are an antidote to various conditions ranging from the common cold to skin disorders. Studies outside China have not been able to confirm their curative properties.
一些人將燕窩視為靈丹妙藥。早在幾百年前，就有人認為燕窩具有保健功效。許多中國人相信，燕窩能治百病，從普通感冒到皮膚病等等，但國外研究尚不能證實燕窩的療效。
| decided to trace the nests back to their origin. I travelled to one of the largest caves in Southeast Asia, the Great Cave in Niah, Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo. After months in caves and bird houses, I was no closer to understanding the attraction of these objects. Yet perhaps, in an increasingly globalised world, it is to be celebrated that a nest can still be mysterious.
我決定探尋燕窩的根源。我去了尼亞洞穴，這是東南亞最大的洞穴之一，位於馬來西亞在婆羅洲島上的砂拉越州。但在洞穴和鳥舍裡住了幾個月之後，我還是不太明白這種食材的吸引力究竟在哪裡。不論如何，在這個日趨全球化的世界_上，一種鳥窩仍然能保持神秘感，應當是一件值得讚賞的事情。
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