Bird’s nest aka bird’s saliva

Bird’s nest, aka bird’s saliva, is a luxury traditional Chinese food. The nests are rich in nutrients such as protein, calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium, and are traditionally believed to provide health benefits. But these functions are actually controversial.

Three times a year, swiftlets build nests out of their sticky saliva on cave walls and cliff sides. After they abandoned their old nests, farmers will harvest them to sell.

To cook bird’s nest:
- Soak bird’s nest in cold water for 6 hours until softened.
- Rinse and drain.
- Get rid of tiny bird feathers with tweezers.
- Add cold water in the inner pot until cover the nest.
- Use a double boiler to brew the nest soup for 30 minutes.
- Add rock candies and goji berries while it’s still hot.

#chinesefood #cooking #healthyfood #homecooking #food #asianfood #foodie

[zarishpls]

wow, never heard of that before! its very interesting to learn about different cultures like this.

[BreathngIsFun]

"You lose so much hair everyday but still have so much" literally what my mum said to me just a few minutes ago what 😭

[spinningindaffodils]

Saw a documentary about the workers who collect those nests. They're underpaid, dangerous conditions, very remote location.

[gymnaaz]

"and make my skin look younger"...

Gurl you already look like a teenager!!!😂

[lexiew]

For whoever wonder what it tastes like: no taste at all but with a jelly texture. So, most of the time u add a bit of sugar to eat with

[SitchCorp]

That must be a really good friend--that stuff isn't cheap. I wish I had such a generous and thoughtful friend.

[adornapendragon]

Wow, birds nest are actually expensive and has high in nutrition so many likes it 🤗 .... but I think I won't eat it coz ya know birds nest 😶

[haironscreen]

These are swiftlet's nest, they build their nest out of saliva and it usually takes 23 days. The reason why it takes so long is that the bird uses it's nutrients and layer strings of saliva then it hardens. No, we aren't stealing their homes because people actually farm these things, they let the swiftlet lay their eggs THEN harvest it, the bird will naturally build another nest when they feel the need to. It's actually suprisingly good for you, they have no taste (you can eat them with sugar to make them sweet) and have a sort of jelly texture

[moozieb]

“You lost hair everyday and you still have so much hair”
*cackles in paper thin hair that sheds like a snake*

[boredonyoutube]

Okay your cat being named Jimbo is the cutest thing ever

[asteroid-qxqd]

I've tried that before, the name makes it sound kinda disgusting but it's actually quite sweet! It's like a sweet jelly :)

[jessie-ceer]

As a Chinese person, I totally agree with you and that it’s one of my favourite medicines to eat.

[lilyanne]

For those who are curious how this is made, there is basically a bird called the edible-nest swiftlet (suggestive), wich is native to Asia, and the nest of this bird is made exclusively of solidified saliva.
Nowadays, most harvesting is done legally after the bird's breeding season, and in some places there are already specific artificial constructions just for this purpose. But some swiftlet populations such as those in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been harvested extensively leading to them being considered critically threatened under the IUCN criteria, which could make the species threatened in the coming decades.

[fartsmcgee]

Wait, birds, please let her tell me what it tastes like!

[onlyquin]

I saw my sister do this with my aunt when I was 5 I didn’t know what they were doing so I asked they didn’t reply and told me to drink it saying it was good for me, my aunt lives far away from me now, this brings back memories and made me smile thank you, ms shi ❤

[dragondreams]

I have so many questions on how they get bird saliva. I've never even thought about birds having saliva. I'm going to go look this up.

[Alevoyxx]

For context, no, this ain’t a random bird’s saliva. This “birds nest” is actually from a special bird that makes their nests out of their own saliva

Hit 1k so here’s some other facts abt it that I found in the replies and comments:
These birds nests in very dangerous places and are endangered so it’s very hard to obtain their nests and therefore is very expensive

Hit 3k so here’s another fact:
The Chinese believe it makes your skin smoother and voice better. That’s why you can see people drinking out of tiny glass bottles before singing competitions. It is also common to be drinking it at weddings or important events.

Another fact at 5k likes

We hit it sooo
Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty was said to be the first person to eat Bird's Nest from China when he accidentally discovered Bird's Nest off a deserted island in the Malay Archipelago. When Zheng He returned from his voyage, he brought some Bird's Nests as a gift to Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty and then it became a thing ig 🤡

Also after reading the replies, I think I started a fight-

[somdattamajumdar]

But harvesting these birds nest are actually robbing birds of their homes and killing their babies, and the birds these nests are taken from endangered as a result. It's already a huge problem in the Andaman Islands.

[bazilleaves.and.tofu.]

I actually know someone that sells A TON of these-

[So_Toasty]

She has the most soothing voice ever. I could listen to her talk about anything.