ALTHOUGH connoisseurs of birds' nest soup have little difficulty spotting a rotten nest, trade in an imitation form of the delicacy is rife throughout Hong Kong.
But the lucrative illegal industry received a setback yesterday when Customs officials swooped on the territory's largest birds' nest counterfeiting racket, netting $200,000 worth of pigskin which was to be sold as birds' nest for $1.3 million.
The record seizure of more than 21,000 packets of fried pig skin came after a two-month investigation.
Although animal rights groups argue that the fake nests should be preferred to the genuine product, reputable restaurateurs said yesterday that imitations were no substitute for the real thing.
The manager of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel's Man Wah Restaurant, Henry Ho, said there was a difference in colour and texture.
'Also with the real one, you usually have little hairs attached to the nest - the fake one you can't see the hair,' Mr Ho said.
