燕巢- Bird’s Saliva Nest

The medical hall lady told me now it's time to drink Bird’s Saliva Nest. Yippee! I'm jumping up for joy. And the best part is I can get to drink it once a week. Hey! I only get this kind of nice treat during my pregnancy hor?? Non-pregnant years, I can only ration the Bird’s Saliva Nest and drink once a month. Of course with the help from mom, who will help me boil it with 泡参. This time round (second pregnancy), she says I can just boil with honey sugar and 枸杞. Whatever it is, I always take my time to savour every mouthful and lick the bowl. Haha!

WHAT IS BIRD’S SALIVA NEST?

Bird’s Saliva Nest is a highly-prized delicacy discovered during the Tang Dynasty in China. At that time, it was only consumed by the Emperors and their families.
Bird’s Saliva Nest is a white substance extracted from swallows' nests. It is normally found in places such as steep deep caves and crags.
This unique Asian delicacy undergoes an intensive and complex cleansing process before it can be consumed. The raw Bird’s Saliva Nest is first soaked for up to 48 hours before it can be thoroughly cleaned of impurities such as feathers and twigs.

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BIRD’S SALIVA NEST IS ESPECIALLY BENEFICIAL FOR:

Woman: It is known for its unique ability to prevent internal dryness due to ageing and is consumed to maintain youthfulness and a smooth, wrinkle-free complexion.
Elderly and children: It helps to stimulate appetite and aid digestion.
Patients: It speeds up recovery from illness and surgery as it provides a unique pre-digested form of protein and nutrients.
Expectant mothers: Pregnant woman and their foetus can benefit greatly from eating Bird’s Saliva Nest. The regular consumption can increase nutrition and improve the health of the pregnant woman and foetus. The body and the immunity of the foetus can be strengthened and its mind activated. This thereby provides a firm foundation for future development. Woman consuming Bird’s Saliva Nests after giving birth can also recover quicker and slim rapidly, helping to regain their youthful appearance.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA FOR SELECTING A BIRD’S SALIVA NEST

* Shape and volume : the best Bird’s Saliva Nests is in the shape of a boat or spoon. Bird’s Saliva Nest can be triangular in shape if they have been built in the corner of two adjacent walls. However for nutritional value the shape does not matter. Bird’s Saliva Nests that are broader in width rank higher. The real Bird’s Saliva Nest should be in a natural shape.
* Color and Purity : The best Bird’s Saliva Nest should be of natural colour, containing no mud and other impurities like moss. The colour of the white nest is an actual ivory. The yellow nest and the bloodyred nest are coloured straw and red, respectively. The variations and intensity in the colour are due to the difference in the mineral constituents of the food the swallow ate. The Bird’s Saliva Nests, regardless of their colour, swell when soaked in clear water. The colouration in the Bird’s Saliva Nest will fade and the nest threads look transparent after swelling. However, the water used for soaking should still remain transparent and colourless.
* Density and Swelling Capacity : Bird’s Saliva Nests that have finer and denser nest threads appear almost gapless. They are bigger and thicker in volume and should have a higher swelling capacity. The swelling capacity refers to the water holding ability of a Bird’s Saliva Nest. The higher the swelling capacity, the greater the Bird’s Saliva Nest distends after immersion in water. Bird’s Saliva Nests of different categories show different magnitudes of swelling capacity, i. e. the ratio between the weight of the Bird’s Saliva Nest before and after swelling can be different. The swelling capacity should be measured by weight instead of by volume.
* Flavor and Dryness : Bird’s Saliva Nest should be selected by smell. A real Bird’s Saliva Nest retains a little bit of a fishy smell of the swallow’s saliva. When cooked, it releases a light aroma resembling the aroma of an egg white. It is essential to select a dry Bird’s Saliva Nest. A Bird’s Saliva Nest that is sticky and soft is certainly not dry enough. A wet Bird’s Saliva Nest weighs heavier thus the price will be overcharged from the extra weight. A wet Bird’s Saliva Nest would not be convenient for storage as it would attract mould easily and has a low swelling capacity.
* Price and Creditability : Bird’s Saliva Nests should be purchased in person and selected by “looking”, “smelling” and “touching”. The price of the Bird’s Saliva Nest should be weighed against the flavor, size, thickness of the nest, fineness of the threads, dryness, and a good swelling capacity. It is not possible to buy a good quality Bird’s Saliva Nest at fair price if the goods have not been examined and the quality and category evaluated. The most trustful way to purchase a high quality Bird’s Saliva Nest is to buy from shops having a good reputation and guaranteed quality.

CHOOSING BIRD’S SALIVA NEST

The quality of processed Bird’s Saliva Nest is determined by the amount of long and thick unbroken nest cement strands in the dried cleaned nests. The quality is higher if it contains more longer and thicker strands. When you choose Bird’s Saliva Nest, feel the nest by your hand. It should be clean, dry, light and hard. Bird’s Saliva Nest with feather and dirt is time consuming to clean while sticky and soft nests weigh heavier and turn mouldy easily. After soaking, 37.9 gms of good quality Bird’s Saliva Nest will weigh about 263 to 300 gms.

REAL OR FAKE, GOOD OR BAD?

A natural Bird’s Saliva Nest is the real Bird’s Saliva Nest. Illegal merchants may coat a layer of egg white or jelly on poor quality imitations. This increases the weight. The fake Bird’s Saliva Nest will reflect light and look opaque.
In contrast, light will penetrate through a real Bird’s Saliva Nest. Some fraudulent Bird’s Saliva Nests are made of "Malaysia rubber" or "pig skin". The former smells and tastes acidic and does not contain nest threads while the latter releases oil after soaking in water.
As for the quality, generally speaking, the price is a fair guideline in reflecting the quality of the Bird’s Saliva Nest. The higher the quality and category of a Bird’s Saliva Nests, the greater the nutritional value, swelling capacity and beauty and vice versa.