Harvesting cave nests brought up many problems as the ecological environment of the swiftlet is being destroyed and created controversy among the environmental activists.
Therefore, the production of cave nests are decreasing. The price of the cave nests are generally higher as it is dangerous to harvest them from the steep terrain of the caves.
House nests are the nests that are constructed in the swiftlet farms. Swiftlet farms act as a natural habitat for the swiftlets and they are attracted into the farm using audio equipment. The swiftlet carries out their daily activities in a preserved habitat, leaving the farm to search for food in the morning and return in the evening to roost.
The swiftlets are strong in breeding, every time they mate, they will build a new nest. Hence the abandoned old nest can be harvested. It also lightens skin pigmentation and reduces wrinkles, thus diminishing the fear of aging. It can effectively nurture the skin to promote the benefits of lightening, tightening, moisturizing and smoothening. Many people are willing to spend small fortunes on this soup as they believe eating it will help them maintain their youth as well as have a long healthy life and a strong body.
Whereas many dishes with interesting names are so called because of their appearance, like bird's nest cookies made with chow mein noodles and melted chocolate, bird's nest soup is a literal recipe title—the soup is made from a real bird's nest.
But if you are thinking of the charming structures made by bluebirds consisting of sticks and straw, think again. The bird's nests used for this soup are not simply found in trees, abandoned by their owners. The swiftlet lives in dark caves and, similar to bats, use echolocation to move around. Instead of twigs and straw, however, the swiftlet makes its nest from strands of its own gummy saliva, which is produced by the glands under the tongue.
The nest then hardens when exposed to air. The structure is quite impressive, a tightly woven hammock-like formation, made of strong threads that can be white, yellow, or red. The nest is secured to the rock wall in the cave, and therefore can be challenging to remove. Some of the processes of harvesting nests are extremely dangerous. The nests are usually located at the top of caves and the nest collector has to use a very narrow, shaky, and long wooden ladder which they climb on top of to reach the nests.
Because this is so dangerous, many nest collectors have lost their lives. In addition to people spending a lot of money on bird's nest soup, there is another aspect of this dish that causes controversy: Swiftlets are an endangered species, and the more nests that are consumed, the closer swiftlets head toward extinction. Now, swiftlets are already an endangered species.
So the more nests that are consumed, the closer they head towards going extinct. In fact, these beds are particularly endangered in areas like Nicobar Islands and the Andaman. It is also made to retain its flavours during this process. In fact, many scouts have actually lost their lives while picking out the nests. All of this has further contributed to the controversy around this dish. A traditional Chinese broth made with the nest of a swiftlet, bird's nest soup has amazing health benefits and sought after properties.
Here is a great video recipe you can follow along with which includes some additional ingredients and cooking tips. Yes, it might be a little heavy on your wallet, but it may just help you live longer!
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