Introduction to Bird’s Nest

What is Bird's Nest?

Bird’s nest has been a Chinese delicacy for centuries. The nest consists of interwoven strands of saliva built on the side of a cave during mating season
The world's bird's nest originates from South East Asia, mainly Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia. The edible bird’s nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. Bird's Nest from Indonesia are of higher quality having more than 30 years of history of rearing swiftlets for Bird's Nest

How do I prepare Bird's Nest?

The most traditional way to enjoy bird's nest is preparing sweet (tong sui) or savory soups
The modern approach is eating bottled bird's nest that has already been cleaned and prepared. This way saves time while receiving the same health benefits

What are the health benefits of Bird's Nest?

Coveted for its rich proteins and minerals, taking bird's nest regularly helps stimulate the appetite, speed up recovery from illnesses, invigorate the lungs, boost immunity, and improve the body’s overall metabolic functions. As an added bonus, it helps your keep skin looking youthful and glowing!
Bird's nest is particularly suitable for pregnant women. It is extremely rich in proteins and other nutritional elements such as amino acids, mucin and lipids. These elements play a vital role in the absorption of nutrients within the body and improving metabolic functions. This can significantly contribute to the healthy development of the fetus and the post-natal vigor of the mother.

How do I select Bird's Nest?

The supply of rare wild Cave Bird's Nest has been unable to keep up with the demand due to strict regulation on harvesting.
House Bird's Nest was evolved to make up for this shortage. For the past 100 years, the production of house bird's nest has been making up for the shortfall in quantity.
To date, as much as 90% of the bird's nest in the market is House Bird's Nest. The question is always being debated, which is better?
Cave nest (洞燕) is more expensive than house nest because the nest is harvested from caves instead of man-made facilities.
However, do not be fooled by fake bird's nest which is basically just gelatin.
House Bird's Nest (屋燕) is made on the wooden beams in the houses build for them. The environment within the house is created artificially using humidifier with tap water and sounds of swiftlets using speakers etc. The saliva secreted by the swiftlet is cemented to the wooden beams for them to lay their eggs. The mineral in the bird nest does not increase further as the wood does not have any additional moisture or minerals in them.
Do take note that whiter Bird's Nest does not always mean cleaner. Oftentimes, producers slightly bleach the nests and claim that they have picked all the feathers out of the nest.