How is bird's nest formed? After watching the whole process of bird's nest processing, do you dare to eat it?
Bird's nest has always been a traditional Chinese tonic and is highly regarded for its beauty and body nourishing effects. However, the process of making bird's nest is chilling.
The formation process of bird's nest
Bird's nest is a common ingredient in the Nanyang region and has been known as a tonic since ancient times. Although its formation process may seem simple, it is actually very wonderful.
Bird's nest is formed from saliva secreted by swiftlets. In simple terms, the formation process of bird's nest can be divided into five steps.
When swallows fly at night, they breathe in nutrients from the air by breathing, secreting saliva, etc.
Swallows convert these nutrients into saliva and spit them out constantly on cliffs or branches, forming layers of saliva webs.
The swallow uses its mouth to spit out the saliva thoroughly and forms it into a conical shape, which is the main part of the bird's nest.
After a period of drying, bird's nest becomes tough and elastic, and can be freely disassembled and combined. At this time, the bird's nest will take on a yellow or white appearance, which looks like pearls set in the rock wall from a distance.
The swallows give the nests to people, who then go through a series of processes to make high-value bird's nest food.
From the above process, it can be seen that the saliva of swallows is an indispensable "raw material" in the formation of bird's nest, and swallows also have strict requirements when choosing to nest. They usually choose to nest on cliffs or branches with quiet environment, fresh air and plenty of sunshine to meet the conditions required for swallows to nest.
Processing process of bird's nest
Bird's nest is a highly nutritious ingredient and is known as the "king of seafood". Among them, No. 2 bird's nest refers to bird's nest made with swiftlet's saliva, and its processing process is as follows:
First, collect bird's nest raw materials The raw material for collecting bird's nest is saliva in the mouth of swallows, so choose caves or buildings with good growth environment, good sanitary conditions and can attract swallows.
2. Cleaning raw materials The collected raw materials are cleaned to remove debris and residual feathers to ensure that the bird's nest made of swallow saliva is clean and hygienic.
3. Soaking bird's nest Bird's nest is soaked in water to soften it and remove impurities such as mucus. The soaking time varies depending on the type of bird's nest, generally ranging from 6 to 12 hours.
4. Pick black velvet bird's nest Select black velvet bird's nest with certain specifications and clean it to remove debris and dazzling white velvet.
5. Steamed bird's nest The selected black velvet bird's nest is steamed, and the cooking time of bird's nest with a net weight of about four taels is about three hours. The bird's nest must be placed in a soaking cloth bag and steamed in a pan to make the bird's nest cooked evenly from the center outward.
6. Drying bird's nest Take out the steamed bird's nest to cool, remove excess water, and sort it.
7. Swallow seed cleaning After cleaning the swallow seeds, boil them with boiling water to remove impurities and odors in the swallow seeds.
8. Mix with bird's nest Mix the cleaned bird's nest with the bird's seed, so that the juice fully penetrates and evenly spreads on the surface of the bird's nest.
9. Secondary stewed swallow The purpose of the second stewed swallow is to allow the bird's nest to absorb enough juice and increase the taste and nutritional value again.
10. Selection and drying After the bird's nest after the second stew, the bird's nest is selected, dried and dried again. After this step, the No. 2 bird's nest is made.
Whether it is safe to eat bird's nest
Bird's nest is a solid substance secreted by the swallow's mouth, also known as bird's cake, which is a very popular ingredient. Bird's nest is considered a very nutritious food and is also considered to have a lot of medical value. Just like any other food, it is essential for consumers to know if bird's nest is safe before consuming it.
Bird's nest does have certain medicinal properties. Bird's nest contains a lot of collagen, which is a good help for skin maintenance and improvement. At the same time, bird's nest contains some rare nutrients, such as bird's acid, which can not only help regulate blood sugar levels, but also improve the body's immunity.
It is important to note that bird's nest is not an absolutely safe food. The production process of bird's nest is very tedious and requires multiple stages of processing, and it is crucial that these processes meet hygiene standards. If the production process is not formal, or contaminants are used in the process, then bird's nest may have safety problems.
There is also an important issue that needs to be solved, and that is the problem of picking bird's nest. In order to get more bird's nest, some merchants will collect or destroy bird's nest without the permission of the swallow. In this case, the act of picking swallows is illegal in itself and may lead to a decrease in the quality of bird's nest and safety problems.
However, as long as consumers pay attention to these issues, they can still enjoy the delicious and nutritional value of bird's nest while ensuring its safety. Consumers are advised to purchase regular and branded bird's nest products and inquire about the source and production process of bird's nest. Also, don't blindly pursue low-priced bird's nest, as a low price may mean poor quality. Before eating, please check whether the bird's nest has any contamination or deterioration problems.
Although bird's nest has certain efficacy and value in nourishing health and other aspects, consumers also need to choose carefully. We should choose a reputable and good quality regular merchant to buy bird's nest, and correctly understand its processing process and market price, and refuse to blindly follow the trend and greedy for cheapness. Protecting your health is the most important thing.
Proofreading: Xiao Xiaobai
Review: Xiao Yin
