About swallow nest, swiftlet, edible bird’s nest

Smart Stuff with Twig Walkingstick: Soup from a Nest? (for the Week of April 16, 2006)

August 14th, 2006

extension.osu.edu/

Writer:

Kurt Knebusch
knebusch.1@osu.edu
330-263-3776

Dear Twig: Why do they call it birds’ nest soup? Is it really made out of birds’ nests?

In short: Yes. Birds’ nest soup is a Chinese dish that is made from the nest of a bird called the swiftlet. Swiftlets are small, fast birds of southeast Asia. They build their nests in groups high on cave walls. And they make those nests from something weird: saliva, or spit. Ick! The spit comes out in long, thin strands from glands that are located under the tongue. The strands are woven to make a nest that sticks to the wall like glue.

Ew. (But effective.)

It used to be the nests were harvested once or twice a year. The birds were able to raise their young. But lately, however, demand has soared. People are gathering more and more nests and are doing it more and more often.

Which, of course, is bad for the swiftlets. Scientists say their numbers are falling. If the harvest isn’t reduced, some types could be gone — extinct — in only five or 10 years.

The gooey, gluey, spitty nests actually don’t have much taste. The soup gets its flavor from other ingredients. And, contrary to folk belief, the nests have little nutritional value. They do have a special protein in them, one that boosts immunity. But cleaning the nest before cooking destroys it.

Loogily,

Twig

P.S. Swiftlet cousins in North America include th

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