\nextension.osu.edu
\nWriter:<\/p>\n
Kurt Knebusch
\nknebusch.1@osu.edu
\n330-263-3776<\/p>\n
Dear Twig: Why do they call it birds\u2019 nest soup? Is it really made out of birds\u2019 nests?<\/p>\n
In short: Yes. Birds\u2019 nest soup is a Chinese dish that is made from the nest of a bird called the swiftlet. Swiftlets are small, fast birds of southeast Asia. They build their nests in groups high on cave walls. And they make those nests from something weird: saliva, or spit. Ick! The spit comes out in long, thin strands from glands that are located under the tongue. The strands are woven to make a nest that sticks to the wall like glue.<\/p>\n
Ew. (But effective.)<\/p>\n
It used to be the nests were harvested once or twice a year. The birds were able to raise their young. But lately, however, demand has soared. People are gathering more and more nests and are doing it more and more often.<\/p>\n
Which, of course, is bad for the swiftlets. Scientists say their numbers are falling. If the harvest isn\u2019t reduced, some types could be gone \u2014 extinct \u2014 in only five or 10 years.<\/p>\n
The gooey, gluey, spitty nests actually don\u2019t have much taste. The soup gets its flavor from other ingredients. And, contrary to folk belief, the nests have little nutritional value. They do have a special protein in them, one that boosts immunity. But cleaning the nest before cooking destroys it.<\/p>\n
Loogily,<\/p>\n
Twig<\/p>\n
P.S. Swiftlet cousins in North America include the familiar chimney swift, Chaetura pelagica.<\/p>\n
Note: Three swiftlet species are tapped for their edible nests: the aptly named edible-nest swiftlet, the also aptly named (and geographically more specific) Indian edible-nest swiftlet and the black-nest swiftlet. Some pretty thorough details about the swiftlets \u2014 their nests, the buying and selling of them, and the environmental issues \u2014 are at www.american.edu\/TED\/SWIFT.HTM, part of a \u201cTrade Environment Database\u201d Web site from American University. (Twig\u2019s been under the weather (bug flu). This column originally ran May 9, 2004.)
\n \u201cSmart Stuff with Twig Walkingstick,\u201d a service of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences \u2014 specifically, of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and Ohio State University Extension, both part of the College \u2014 is a weekly column for children about science, nature, farming and the environment. For details and to receive Twig free by mail, e-mail or fax, contact Kurt Knebusch, News and Media Relations, CommTech, OSU\/OARDC,1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691, knebusch.1@osu.edu, (330) 263-3776. Available online at extension.osu.edu\/~news\/archive.php?series=science.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
extension.osu.edu Writer: Kurt Knebusch knebusch.1@osu.edu 330-263-3776 Dear Twig: Why do they call it birds\u2019 nest soup? Is it really made out of birds\u2019 nests? In short: Yes. Birds\u2019 nest soup is a Chinese dish that is made from the nest of a bird called the swiftlet. Swiftlets are small, fast birds of southeast Asia. They […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[413],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n