Epoch Times, NY – Jul 4, 2014
By Ron Haering
Special to The Epoch Times
The city of Khota Bharu in far north-east Malaysia is literally going to the birds or more precisely, bird’s nest soup. Over two hundred buildings, some seven stories high, have been converted into giant open aviaries to service the lucrative business of farming edible swiftlet nests renowned in Chinese culture for their health benefits.
The shallow, cup-shaped white nests are made of woven strands of saliva stuck to the dark interior building walls. Once the nests have been dislodged, they are soaked and boiled in water and cleaned of impurities. At this stage, the brittle nest has become a translucent gelatinous mass ready for consumption usually in a clear chicken consommé thickened with cornstarch and garnished with chopped chicken, pork and an array of other medicinal ingredients.
The taste is bland, but daily consumption of bird’s nest soup is said to enhance virility, aid digestion and boost the immune system. Some believe it will also improve their voice, but after hearing these birds, I feel the same effect could be achieved by inhaling a helium balloon!
The city centre is a cacophony of sound and frenzied aerial movement as clouds of swiflets seek mates above their artificial homes, which are adorned with modified porthole windows and barbed wire edges. Rooftop loudspeakers attempt to lure rival birds with recorded bird calls, as security guards pace the perimeter of each building seeking to protect the nests, and the owner’s considerable income, from unwanted intruders.
These small, energetic birds are endemic to the Asian tropics. With over-exploitation, increasing disturbance and loss of their traditional cave habitats, particularly in Sumatra to the south, swiflets are seeking alternative nest sites in unusual places. Khota Bharu, with its proximity to the river and adjacent rice paddies that provide abundant insect food, is an ideal place to call home.
A big building, such as the converted hotel I’m currently looking at, can yield 60 kilograms of birds’ nests a year (that’s 4800 individual nests). Farmers coax the birds into making at least two nests each season, with the first one taken before eggs are laid and the second after the baby birds have fledged. This many nests can fetch up to $100,000, all with minimal overheads and no customer service required!
