Bizarre Bites: Blood Birds Nest

Every once in a while I stumble upon a food and think, “What sick mind came up with this idea in the first place?” Blood Birds Nest falls into that category. I’d like to meet whoever first decided to soak a Blood Birds Nest in water overnight, then pick feathers and feces out of the nest, add it to a bowl of chicken broth, onions, sherry, and egg white, and then start eating. C’mon, that’s insane.

Spit Soup

The soup’s flavor depends largely on the geographic region of the nest. I love nests harvested near the ocean. They offer a sea-salty, briny flavor (the birds eat primarily saltwater fish, the nests are full of their saliva, spewdom, and droppings. It only makes sense that the nests would taste of the sea!). Some chefs like to play up the salty flavor (and sometimes slimi- ness) of the soup. I’m cool with that. To me, it just tastes like Mom’s chicken soup—seasoned with bird spit and lots of slimy chunks.
However, the Chinese (as well as some Taiwanese and Indonesians) have enjoyed this gelatinous, soupy delicacy for hundreds if not over a thousand years. The soup isn’t made from any old nest. The soup calls for the nest of a bird called the swiftlet or cave swift. These birds produce special nests found not in trees but in caves throughout southern Asia, the south Pacific islands, and northeastern Australia.
As you can imagine, it’s not easy to attach a nest to a cave wall. These industrious birds use a mixture of seaweed, twigs, moss, hair, and feathers to fashion the nest. The truly bizarre secret ingredient: saliva. Male birds gorge themselves on seaweed, which causes them to salivate like a Labradoodle at a picnic. Saliva threads, which contain a bonding protein called mucilage, spew out of the bird’s mouth. Once dry, the saliva acts as cement. The crafty avian will continue to build on to the nest until it can support the weight of its bird family. The process usually takes about forty-five days.

Bizarre Bites: Blood Birds Nest

Swiftlet Factoids

The birds live in southern Asia, the south Pacific islands, and northeastern Australia.
Swiftlets have four toes and short legs, so they cannot perch, but they can cling to vertical surfaces like the side of a cave or their nests.
A swiftlet’s diet is made up of insects and more insects, with insects for dessert.
Swiftlets mate for life, and both the male and female take care of the babies.
Swiftlets typically lay one to two eggs.

Saliva Facts

Saliva is 98 percent water. The other 2 percent is made up of electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds, and various enzymes.
Saliva is used in the first part of digestion. It moistens food and starts to break it down with its enzymes. It also helps to create a food bolus to help us swallow. Our mouths, with the help of saliva, roll our chewed food into a ball, so the food goes down the esophagus and not the trachea.
When you have to vomit, there is a signal sent to your brain and you create extra saliva. This makes the vomit less acidic, protecting your throat, mouth, and teeth from burning and decay.
The average person makes 700 milliliters of saliva per day. That’s the equivalent to more than two cans of soda.
Your spit production slows down when you sleep.
The mouth is the most unsanitary part of your body. It houses about 10 billion bacteria.
Saliva rinses the mouth to reduce the bacteria amount, but at night when its production slows down, there is very little cleaning being done. That’s why we often wake up with bad breath. We smell all of the bacteria that have built up overnight. It’s mouth B.O.

Can I Cook and Serve Blood Birds Nest for Dinner

While each family members might be in rush while having breakfast, or having lunch outside, then dinner time is mostly becoming a perfect moment to eat and bond together. Everybody has arrived home and rest before spending time sitting around the table to dine. To value this wonderful moment, most parents do not mind spending some time to cook something delicious and healthy, to provide nutritious food for loved ones. The next question is, what to cook for dinner that’s healthy and delicious?

Besides cooking simple dishes containing many sources of vitamins, such as fried rice or noodle, soup, or stir-fried vegetables, one of the tips is to stock some nutritious dried food, like Blood Birds Nest. We have post some recipes, which most of them is also suitable for dinner.

■ Stewed Blood Birds Nest with Abalone and Chicken

This recipe is suitable for family dinner reunion, such as in Chinese New Year celebration. Combining abalone and chicken, this Stewed Blood Birds Nest with Abalone and Chicken becomes a luxurious dish to serve a big family dinner.

■ Blood Birds Nest with Vegetables

This Blood Birds Nest with Vegetables can be served either for family dinner, or to boost stamina when somebody is getting sick. The combination of egg, ham, and mushroom can provide multiple vitamins required by our body.

■ Blood Birds Nest with Winter Melon and Mushroom

This soup can serve as a unique dish for the whole family. Combining the crab, ginger, and winter melon, a Blood Birds Nest with Winter Melon and Mushroom is definitely something you want to serve up on the table during dinner time.

■ Pumpkin Scallop Blood Birds Nest Porridge

This porridge is not only for the unwell, but also great to serve on dining table with family or friends. With scallops, pumpkins and Blood Birds Nest, Pumpkin Scallop Blood Birds Nest Porridge serves a great health booster for the whole family or friends.

■ Pound Cake With Oranges & Blood Birds Nest

After all the main course, what can serve better than the fresh and sweet dessert? Composed of the oranges and Blood Birds Nest, this pound cake will not only satisfy the freshness for the soul, but also the sweetness for the tounge.
In summary, Blood Birds Nest is totally recommended to serve during dinner due to its high nutritional value. With many ways of cooking to plate up Blood Birds Nest on the table, it can always offer new ways of eating and enjoying Blood Birds Nest to provide numerous benefits for the loved ones