bird soup

In battle the fearsome Warbirds of the Andisol Valley are permitted to feast on any meats they can claim, leading to frequent vicious bites against opposing forces.   To protect their own forces Andovian armies bathe themselves in bird soup, a teasingly named concoction developed as a Warbird repellent. The birds are trained from an early age to avoid biting anything coated in the mixture, as a bite could quickly become lethal once the birds' teeth fully sharpen during adolescence.   Each city maintains their own recipe for bird soup and jealously guards the preparation process. Particularly astute cities maintain several variations in case of theft, allowing them to train the birds to no longer disregard the compromised recipe. Some cities mix poisons into their variations, allowing for the possibility of poisoning their opponents' Warbirds, although this of course carries the risk of poisoning their own juvenile birds while still training them to avoid the substance.   Sharing a recipe for bird soup is considered high treason, punishable by a death which usually involves a hungry pack of Warbirds. Purposely leaking a fake recipe, which the birds may or may not have been trained to attack more ferociously than usual, is considered a valid military tactic.

Bird soup is a unique phenomenon, utilized solely by the Andovians to keep their Warbirds in check. Peace treaties and military agreements between Andovian city states are accompanied with an exchange of bird soup recipes to finalize the deal, although it is understood that in most cases the recipe provided is merely one of many used by that city.   Cultures outside of the Andisol Valley don't comprehend the true significance of bird soup, and many believe it to be a literal soup made from fallen Warbirds.  

I heard the Andovians bathe in soup made from their enemies, Warbirds and warriors alike, before eating it in a victory celebration. They think it will make them stronger than their enemies. How barbaric.

— common gossip