What is bird's nest made of? swallow
Chinese people think that the most beautiful food often has a strong imagination of aesthetic characteristics. The collection and cultivation of these characteristics is not through research, dissection, observation and experiment, but all from imagination and speculation. And the most "beautiful" food, of course, is the Chinese eyes of the four major types: bird's nest, bear's paw, shark fin and abalone. Here and one by one, see how they are replenishing, how face-saving and how valuable they are.
What is bird's nest?
All the information claims that it is "a supplement with extremely high nutritional value," and even university researchers, chemists, etc., have issued certificates saying that it "contains 49.9% protein, a large number of bioactive protein molecules, as well as a large amount of fat and phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, potassium and other components, which have the effect of nourishing yin and rejuvenating the human body." Zhao Xuemin's "Compendium of Materia Medica" in the Qing Dynasty simply said: "Bird's nest nourishes lung yin, reduces phlegm and relieves cough, replenishes and clears up, and is the holy medicine for regulating the deficiency and fatigue. All diseases cannot be cleared due to lung deficiency, and those who use this can be cured." Experts in the new era have found that bird's nest contains epidermal growth factor and auxiliary cell division-promoting ingredients, which help stimulate cell growth and reproduction, and promote human tissue growth, cell regeneration, and immune function triggered by cells. In addition, bird's nest also contains a large number of mucin, glycoprotein, calcium, phosphorus and other natural nutrients, which have the effect of moisturizing lung dryness, nourishing kidney yin, and replenishing deficiency. It can enhance the body's resistance to diseases and help resist colds, coughs and colds. Therefore, it is most effective for smokers and people with respiratory diseases, and helps the body recover after illness. It is a pure and noble natural health care product.
Is there really any evidence? In fact, there is no such thing. The reason for coming up with such a grand "theory" is probably because of its difficulty and rarity. Bird's nest is the nest of swiftlets. Swiftlets fly from Siberia and other places to natural caves on the tropical coast to breed from December to March of the following year, so they need to build nests. At this time, it becomes a good opportunity for collectors to destroy people's nests. Climbing rock walls to pick bird's nests is a very hard and dangerous labor. Collectors climb between the steep walls of cliffs, and if they stumble and fall into deep ravines, they will be smashed to pieces. The first harvest is pure in texture and has no hair attached. It is the top grade in the bird's nest and is used as a tribute "official swallow"; the second harvest, due to the tight time, the nest is relatively rough and contains more impurities, and is only called "Mao Yan"; the third harvest seems to be "quite pitiful", because the throat of the swiftlet forcibly spits out bleeding mucus for the sake of offspring, and some are bright red in color. The nest built can be said to be painstakingly coagulated. At this time, the swallow pickers stopped, so that the swiftlets could have children and wait for the mother swallow to fly away from the nest before picking. This is called "old nest", also known as "blood swallow". There is also a kind of bird's nest that is moistened by the liquid seeping from the attached red rock wall, and the whole body is dark red. It is also called "blood swallow" or "red swallow" because of the "scarce production" and is regarded as a treasure in bird's nest.
Origin of bird's nest
Bird's nest, also known as bird's dish, swallow root, swallow room, swallow cup, gold silk, etc., is not only a valuable cooking raw material, but also a tonic with high nutritional value.
Bird's nest, as the name suggests, is a bird's nest. But it is not an ordinary bird's nest, but a special kind of swallow... the nest of the swiftlet.
Swiftlets belong to the family Ornithidae, Swiftlet. They are migratory birds that fly from Siberia and other places to the natural caves on the tropical coast from December to March each year to breed. Swiftlets are smaller than the swallows we usually see, with gray-brown back feathers with golden luster, long pointed wings, and four toes growing forward. The larynx of this swallow has well-developed mucus glands, and the saliva secreted can be solidified in the air, which is the main material for their nesting. Swiftlets lay eggs in March and April every year. Before spawning, they fly over the sea and high in the sky every day, sometimes up to thousands of meters, through clouds and fog, sucking rain and dew, feeding on insects, seaweed, whitebait and other things. After digestion, it burrows into steep, shady, high-altitude cliff crevices and caves to spit and build nests. It takes about 20 days to build.
The bird's nest is half-moon-shaped, shaped like a human ear, with a diameter of 6-7 cm. The base is thick and the profile wall is thin, weighing about 10-15 grams. The outside of the bird's nest is neat and the inside is rough, like a loofah network. The whole bird's nest is white and crystal clear, elastic, and attached to the rocky cliffs. It has always been known as "rare and famous medicine" and "Oriental treasures".
The first nest built by swiftlets was made entirely by the gradual condensation of a large amount of mucus secreted by their throats. The texture was pure and there was no hair attached. This kind of bird's nest was of the best quality and was the top grade among bird's nests. In the feudal dynasty, it was often selected as a tribute, so it was named "Guan Yan".
After the bird's nest pickers seized the opportunity to harvest the bird's nest, the swiftlet had to make a nest for the second time. Because the egg-laying period was relatively close, the swiftlet was plump and had more gums in its throat. The nest was relatively fat, but due to time constraints, they brought feathers, grass... Mixed with the gels in its throat to build a nest again, the construction was relatively rough, contained more impurities, and had poor nutrients. The bird's nest harvested at this time was called "Mao Yan".
The laying of eggs is imminent, and the swiftlet has to build a nest for the third time. At this time, its throat forcibly spits out bleeding mucus, some of which are bright red in color, and the nest built can be said to be painstakingly coagulated. At this time, the people who pick swallows should no longer pick them, so that the swiftlets can have children, and then pick them after the mother swallow flies away from the nest with the milk swallow. This is called "old nest", also known as "blood swallow".
Another type of bird's nest is moistened by the red liquid seeping from the attached red rock wall, and the whole body is dark red. It is also called "blood swallow" or "red swallow". It contains several minerals, good nutrition, and very little yield. It is regarded as a treasure in bird's nest.
Climbing the rock wall to collect bird's nests is a very difficult and dangerous labor. The gatherers carry a bag and climb between the steep walls of the cliff, like monkeys, stepping on the holes and picking the gaps, searching for the collected items everywhere. They are as light as swallows and as bold as eagles, sometimes their hands and feet are in the shape of "big", attached to the rock wall; sometimes they are swinging in the canyon with the help of ropes. Every move is exciting, and if they lose it and fall into a deep ravine, they will be smashed to pieces. Therefore, the value of bird's nests, in addition to its own tonic effect, also has the factor of life-saving during collection.
Bird's nest is a rare and expensive thing, mainly produced in Java, Sumatra, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and other places. Sichuan, Fujian and other provinces in our country also produce it.
Legend has it that the first person to eat bird's nest in China was Zheng He, a Ming dynasty navigator. Zheng He's ocean-going fleet encountered a major storm at sea and anchored on a deserted island in the Malay Archipelago, where food was scarce. They accidentally found bird's nest on a broken rock cliff, so they ordered their subordinates to pick it, wash it, and simmer it with water to satisfy their hunger. After a few days, the crew's faces were ruddy and full of anger. So when the fleet returned home, they brought some to Emperor Chengzu of Ming. In fact, before this, in the book "Food Instructions" written by Jia Ming in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368 AD), it was said that "bird's nest has a sweet taste, and those who are yellow and black and moldy are poisonous. Do not eat it". Among the dozens of "upper table menus" recorded in the "Diaoding Collection" in the Kangxi year of the Qing Dynasty, the first one was bird's nest.
There are three categories of bird's nests: natural cave swallows, slaughtered swallows raised in captivity and processed swallows built indoors. In addition, there are artificial bird's nests made of seaweed and fake bird's nests made of starch. This counterfeit product can almost be real, so to identify bird's nests, we must first distinguish between true and false, and then classify them and set the file.
There are many ways to cook bird's nest, and people generally like to cook the famous dish "clear soup bird's dish". Before cooking, the bird's nest should be inflated, and the methods include alkali hair, evaporation and soaking. The soaking method is to soak the bird's nest in cold water first, and after it expands and soaks thoroughly, inject water into a white porcelain plate with a rim, and gently remove the bird's nest and put it on the plate (because the bird's nest and the plate are both white, hairs and other impurities are easy to find, use a pointed camera to remove the bird's hair, impurities and deteriorated parts. Be sure to choose clean, and the operation should be light, so as not to mess up the shape and break the bird's nest silk. After cleaning, wash it with cold water, put it in the soup and slowly stew it over a slow fire, then add ham, chicken, quail, pigeon eggs, etc. Its flavor is overflowing and wonderful. If you eat sweet, you can also use rock sugar and fresh coconut juice or chrysanthemum and white lotus to stew together, which will have a unique flavor. The "Suiyuan Food List" says: "This thing is very clear, and it cannot be greasy and mixed; this thing is very simple, and it cannot be strung with weapons." "Soft with soft, clear with clear" must be followed, otherwise it will be a good thing that will not taste good. If the bird's nest soaked and selected is not used at that time, it can be stored in the refrigerator freezer and changed with water once or twice a day.
Bird's nest has high edible and medicinal value. According to the "Food Composition List" compiled by the Institute of Medical Sciences and Health of China and the "Bird's Nest Examination" co-authored by Professors Guan Peisheng and Wang Runxiang of the Department of Biochemistry of the Chinese University of Hong Kong: Bird's nest contains 49.9% protein, a large number of bioactive protein molecules, as well as vector fats and phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, potassium and other components, which have the effect of nourishing yin and rejuvenating the human body. According to Zhao Xuemin's "Compendium of Materia Medica" in the Qing Dynasty: "Bird's nest nourishes lung yin, relieves phlegm and suppresses cough, and can be replenished and cleared. It is a holy medicine for regulating the deficiency and fatigue. All diseases cannot be cleared due to lung deficiency, and this can be used to treat them." According to relevant experts, bird's nest contains epidermal growth factor and auxiliary cell division-promoting components, which help stimulate cell growth and reproduction, and promote human tissue growth, cell regeneration, and immune function generated by cells. In addition, bird's nest also contains a large number of mucin, glycoprotein, calcium, phosphorus and other natural nutrients, which have the functions of moisturizing lung dryness, nourishing kidney yin, and replenishing deficiency. It can enhance the body's resistance to diseases and help resist colds, coughs and colds. Therefore, it is most effective for smokers and people with respiratory diseases, and helps the body recover after illness. It is a pure and noble natural health care product. Bird's nest has unique curative effects on moisturizing the lungs and waist, strengthening the spleen and stomach, and stopping bleeding from trauma.
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