My quest to understand the appeal of bird's nest soup
燕窝的魅力何在?我试图寻找答案
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.
至少从14世纪开始，金丝燕的窝就在中国广受欢迎，人们常常把它煮沸做成燕窝汤。中国古代的皇帝似乎都对燕窝情有独钟，时至今日，这种食品仍然保留着皇室佳肴的光环。
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.
燕窝是怎么流行起来的?原因又是什么?这些问题没有确切的答案。有人认为，郑和在远渡东南亚之后将燕窝第一次带回中国，在15世纪时，他主导了中国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.
这类传说帮助维持了燕窝作为奢侈品的价值和地位。陈文雄博士(音)是一位马来西亚籍华裔商人，从事燕窝生意。他的产品一般卖给柔佛海峡对岸富有的新加坡华人。30克燕窝，他要价130英镑左右(约170美元)，大概是三碗燕窝汤的分量。
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.
一些人将燕窝视为灵丹妙药。早在几百年前，就有人认为燕窝具有保健功效。许多中国人相信，燕窝能治百病，从普通感冒到皮肤病等等，但国外研究尚不能证实燕窝的疗效。
| 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.
我决定探寻燕窝的根源。我去了尼亚洞穴，这是东南亚最大的洞穴之一，位于马来西亚在婆罗洲岛上的砂拉越州。但在洞穴和鸟舍里住了几个月之后，我还是不太明白这种食材的吸引力究竟在哪里。不论如何，在这个日趋全球化的世界_上，一种鸟窝仍然能保持神秘感，应当是一件值得赞赏的事情。
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