Edible bird's nest
Bird nests made out of solidified swiftlet saliva, harvested for human consumption / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Edible bird's nests, also known as swallow nests (Chinese: 燕窝; pinyin: yànwō), are bird nests created from solidified saliva by edible-nest swiftlets, Indian swiftlets and other swiftlets of the genera Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and Collocalia, which are harvested for human consumption.
Region or state | Southeast Asia and East Asia |
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Associated cuisine | Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar |
Edible bird's nest | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 燕窩 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 燕窝 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Literal meaning | "swallow nest" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Swallow nests have been used as a delicacy for over 400 years, most often as soup.[1] They are particularly prized in Chinese cuisine due to the rarity, high protein content and rich flavor, and are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans,[2] with prices up to about $4,300 per pound ($9,500/kg) depending on grading.[3] The type or grading of a swallow nest depends on the bird species, as well as the shape and color of the bird's nest. It is usually white in color, but there also exists a red version that is sometimes called 'blood nest' (血燕). According to traditional Chinese medicine, it promotes good health, especially for the skin.[4]