The entrance to other caves is hidden by thick water and opens only at low tide.

Photo Depositphotos/PhotoXPress.ru

This delicacy, familiar to many of those who have traveled to the countries of Southeast Asia, at least by hearsay, is considered one of the most exotic dishes. As rare and unique as, say, the fillet of a king cobra or the brains of a living monkey. We are talking about swallow's nest soup. True gourmets do not deny themselves the pleasure of tasting it at least once if they happen to be somewhere in Singapore, Bangkok or Saigon. IN expensive restaurants it is served at a price of a hundred dollars for a serving the size of a tea bowl. You can do it cheaper - at home. Packaging or cans

with the inscription “BirdNest” are sold in large quantities in markets and stores. But this, as they say, is not the same style. A real swallow's nest is the food of the gods. It's all about what you're served.

The lagoon shone dazzling white. On the sparkling surface, like jewelry inclusions, darkened lonely rocks and a small scattering of bamboo vessels, similar to coconut shells. The shore gradually moved away from us, parting, like a curtain, the picturesque panorama of Sam Bong Bay at the northern outskirts of Nha Trang.

Against the background of tousled palm trees, the white thread of the bridge over the Kai River stood out clearly. From here he seemed even more graceful than in the photographs in the advertising brochures. The curled caps of the Cham temples of PokhNogar became even closer to the clouds. Facing the sea, they serve as our navigator and altar at the same time.

Tung, the captain of our “Pearl,” looked at the shore and muttered something under his breath. Obviously he was praying. In the morning he went to the fortune teller who sat at the steps of PokhNogar and asked him to tell his fortune. The old soothsayer promised good luck and protection from the sea lord.

But we read more ancient sources - the notes of the British East India Company sub-receiver Thomas Bowir, who writes how local merchants carried printed silks, porcelain, tea, mercury, ginger in their holds from China...

From Siam - sandalwood, mahogany, ebony, betel, varnish, mother-of-pearl, ivory, emeralds, Pailin sapphires...

From Batavia - pearls and silver jewelry, cinnabar... From Manila - incense, tobacco, silver, wax, sinew... From Vietnam - gold and iron, patterned silks and cotton, eagle wood and swallow's nests...

Since time immemorial in Vietnam, en sao soup has been a decoration for any royal table. At the royal feast of Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, a great lover of life and patron of the muses (he founded the Temple of Literature in Hanoi in 1070), poets competed, praising en sao as a divine drink.

According to the Chinese version, it was first prepared in the 13th century by the cooks of the young emperor from the Jin dynasty. This happened at the wrong moment - Genghis Khan’s troops were moving from the north to Beijing. The emperor's army was defeated, its remnants took refuge on a deserted island surrounded by rocks. Hungry soldiers began to look for food, but the island was covered only with stunted vegetation.

And then the emperor’s attention was attracted by colonies of swallows. Their nests covered all the stones from top to bottom. A skillful cook, by order of the ruler, prepared a rather tolerable dish, and everyone liked it - both the overlord and the army. The threat of famine was over.

Our “Pearl” was briskly moving on its tack. To the right, rocky islands stretched in a darkening chain. Tung, raising his hand, calmly said: “Here, you wanted en-sao. In the spring, clouds of swiftlets - small needle-tailed swifts, reminiscent of swallows with their dark plumage and wing geometry - flock here to nest. This is where the name of the islands came from – Lastochkiny.

Having short legs that are not adapted for life on the earth's surface, swiftlets spend most of their time in the air or in nests. But strong wings provide them with greater maneuverability and high speed. Stone cliffs, rugged shores and labyrinthine fjords provide ideal nesting sites. Passing ships do not disturb the peace there, the road is closed to predators. Only noisy waves crash against the rocks and the salty wind blows around.

Huge colonies of swiftlets settle in stone grottoes and caves, which are not so easy to reach even for an experienced rock climber. The entrance to other caves is hidden by thick water and opens only at low tide. There are few such caves. One of them is Ho Cave near Da Nang, the other, the largest, is Chong Cave, five kilometers from Nha Trang.

We approached it. We made our way over the slippery stones to the very entrance. Birds flew overhead in excited flocks. There was such a hubbub that we couldn't hear each other. Inside the cave, I climbed onto a ledge and looked down. Snakes swam in the water below me - the eternal companions of swiftlets during the nesting period.

Swiftlets begin to make nests in the spring. They choose a secluded place and get to work. The first nest, mixed with clay and sand, where eggs have already been laid, is torn off the walls by hunters. Swallows, obeying the instinct of procreation, take up the latter. They are in a hurry to make a second clutch. But this time too, the miners of the most valuable product take the nest into their pouches. There are very few days left for the swiftlets to breed their offspring. And they get to work for the third time. This nest is very small, made only from saliva, without impurities, the main thing is to be in time.

Salangans create a home for little chicks with all their might, literally from their own flesh. The secretions of the sublingual salivary glands are the only building material. Day after day, they pull out threads of saliva from themselves, building up the semicircle of a new nest. The humid climate keeps the nest soft, preventing it from drying out within a week. Gelatinous mass with reddish and pink veins is the most valuable taste qualities, and therefore the most expensive and rare on the market. For one kilogram – a hundred million dong (about 4.5 thousand dollars).

Hunters build special bamboo forests on nearby rocks and climb the steep wall using climbing equipment. For hours, nest collectors hang on ropes at heights of up to hundreds of meters, risking their lives and literally playing with death.

The hottest time for harvesting does not last long - about seven days. During this time, with good weather and accompanying luck, it is possible to collect tens of kilograms quality product. On shore, in specialized factories, it is sorted, packaged in containers and sent for export - to Hong Kong, the USA, Australia...

Compared to other countries in the region - Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, where they also engage in similar fishing, Vietnamese swallow's nests are considered the most delicious and nutritious. They say it all depends on the local climate and special natural conditions.

Nest hunters make their last call when the chicks have hatched and started to fly. Then typhoons come from the Philippines and sweep into the sea everything that remains on the rocks and inside the caves. Until next spring...

Having moved to China, the first thing I did was find out how things were on the culinary front. And imagine my disappointment when I realized that there was no need to add borscht and lard here, the bread here was only white and not crispy, and the mayonnaise was sweet. Let's figure out what is included in the diet of a Chinese gourmet.

“So what do they even eat then?” my grandmother asked. She is more worried than anyone that I will remain hungry in China. The Chinese have a rather sophisticated taste in terms of food: they eat everything that flies, crawls and generally moves in the slightest way. They talk with humor about their gastronomic preferences: “We eat everything that flies, except airplanes, and everything that has four legs, except tables and chairs.” Let's go through local exotic delicacies.

Photo by the author

Stinky tofu cheese

Simply put, this is rotten cheese (a type bean curd), which was soaked in salty brine for so long that it fermented. The smell, you understand, is appropriate. Although many Chinese claim that they feel aromas only when cooking, they say that when consuming it, the sense of smell fades into the background and taste buds come into play.

Luckily for me, I didn’t have a chance to taste this creation, because the strong ammonia aromas automatically caused a hail of tears. The Chinese thought I had some bad news.

Chicken feet

Popular Chinese fast food, which is sold everywhere and in any form. Paws are sprinkled with spices or eaten without seasoning, they are served in restaurants, sold on the street at roadside eateries and even in supermarkets in vacuum packages. The Chinese love this delicacy! But with my parents in Siberia, even our dog refuses to eat this.

Duck tongues and heads

In China, poor ducks are eaten whole, with absolutely no preference for fillets or offal. When you come to dinner, you will get baked duck skin as an appetizer, which should be eaten hot, dipped in salt. Then, most likely, the turn will come white meat and Peking ducks. And at the end of the feast you will be offered duck bones, which the Chinese love to crunch on like chips.

Beef and spinal cord

Russians are not surprised by such a dish, because it is also found in Russia. However, there it is served as a delicacy, and in the Middle Kingdom this dish can be tasted in almost every restaurant. For the Chinese there is nothing exotic in this, which cannot be said about the brain of a monkey, for example.

Bird's nest soup

This is a dessert with a consistency similar to jelly. The main ingredient of such a dish is the saliva of a certain type of swift, from which they build their nests. Thanks to the combination of various microelements, such as iodine, calcium, magnesium, this soup is believed to strengthen the immune system well.

Shark fin soup

In China, this dish is served to important guests as a sign of respect, because it is a symbol of wealth and fame. As a rule, such soup does not have a pronounced taste, so it is prepared on meat broth, otherwise it turns out completely bland.

Centennial eggs

Despite the name, these eggs are not a hundred years old at all, but only a few months old. Eggs of chickens, ducks or quails are soaked in a special alkaline solution consisting of slaked lime and soda for ten days. Then they are wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent oxygen from penetrating inside and left for several months. During this time, the shell acquires a purple tint, the white becomes dark gray, and the yolk turns green. The smell of this dish is no better than its appearance. But the Chinese do not pay attention to this and eat with pleasure.

Balut eggs

This dish is common in southern China. A balut egg is a duck egg with a ripe fruit. This egg is eaten both boiled and raw, sometimes with various seasonings and sauces. This dish is believed to be very beneficial for men's health.

Bear paws

This is a very expensive delicacy. As a rule, dishes made from real bear paws are served only in very expensive restaurants. In ordinary establishments they are replaced pork feet. More bear paws widely used in local folk medicine.

And all sorts of frogs, turtles, crickets and spiders

This is already a classic Chinese cuisine! I cannot imagine modern China without them.

However, despite the abundance of exotic dishes that cause more disgust than profuse salivation, there are also foreigners who adore Chinese food. They eat everything, ask for more, and gain 5-10 extra pounds in the first year of living in the Middle Kingdom.

And this, in fact, is about me. Recently, after seeing my new photo on the seashore, my friend sent me a message: “I think you’ve gained a little weight.” In short, I no longer have a friend.

It turns out that not everything is as sad with food as it seems at first glance, and the likelihood of bringing belly folds as a souvenir from China is very high. So how do you get so fat?

Sugar is added to almost every Chinese dish.

For the Chinese, sugar is a full-fledged spice, just like pepper. And in your dish, in addition to sugar, pepper and a lot of salt, there will always be monosodium glutamate by default - food supplement(E621 or MSG), which can change the taste of a dish beyond recognition. Some nutritionists claim that glutamate promotes water retention in the body, which leads to an increased likelihood of being overweight, while others say the opposite.

Anyway, after the shock of seeing the numbers on the scale, the first thing I do when I go to a Chinese restaurant is to ask them not to add MSG to my noodles. But I suspect that a few crystals of this additive somehow still find their way into my dish.

The Chinese almost always cook with corn oil.

They “bathe” food in oil, deep-frying it. And then, of course, it is peppered, salted, and millions of other seasonings are added. In my opinion, it turns out very tasty! Because of this, in a duel between proper nutrition and harmful fried food in my case, victory is far from healthy habits.

Chinese people eat white bread

Just bread with no jam, butter, tea or anything else. The average Chinese can eat a bun white bread in one sitting as a snack. And the Chinese, believe me, are ready to snack every hour!

Bakeries are very popular here. And, what's worse, they are at every turn. Every day I promise myself never to set foot there again. But, seeing one not far away... further, as if in a fog. I usually come to my senses after some time coconut flakes on the cheeks and cream on the fingers. You can consider me a weak-willed creature!

Large and filling portions

Photo by the author

This delicacy, familiar to many of those who have traveled to the countries of Southeast Asia, at least by hearsay, is considered one of the most exotic dishes. As rare and unique as, say, the fillet of a king cobra or the brains of a living monkey. We are talking about swallow's nest soup. True gourmets do not deny themselves the pleasure of tasting it at least once if they happen to be somewhere in Singapore, Bangkok or Saigon. Chinese restaurant, my advice to you is to opt for a maximum of 5-8 dishes for two.

But often, as happens with me, when I see the menu, my eyes run wide, looking for something new and unusual and something I haven’t tried yet. Fortunately, the restaurants here are not as expensive as French ones, for example.

And so, having tasted a little of everything and eaten up, it would seem that they could calm down. But no! My grandmother taught not to leave food on the plate, because, in her opinion, all the power is hidden in the last pieces. And I don’t want to be weak at all, so we finish everything to the last crumb, rolling out of the restaurant with our belts relaxed. Fools! You can ask me to wrap it with you...

As you can see, Chinese cuisine cannot be called dietary. Although many Chinese, having moved to Russia, complain about our cuisine, claiming that it is very high in calories. Paradox!

Exotic dishes are becoming more and more accessible to our compatriots, especially those who are interested in traveling and try food for fun. different corners the world's most weird food. Few people will now be surprised by roast crocodile, rotten herring or insect dishes. But the oriental delicacy “soup from bird's nests"still remains one of the most exotic and rare dishes peace. It is also difficult to try because it is a very expensive food - in Hong Kong, special nests for soups are sold at a price of four thousand dollars per kilogram.

It is difficult to imagine how a person came up with the idea of using such a seemingly completely unsuitable product as food - it seems that only extreme need and severe hunger could make a growth of branches, leaves and bird saliva clinging to a rock appetizing. But the fact remains - the dish turned out to be incredibly tasty and nutritious, and is now even considered one of the most gourmet delicacies peace.

Not every nest is suitable for this kind of culinary delight, so don't try to cook a nest you find in a tree outside your window. Only the houses of swiftlets are suitable for food. These birds are very small, comparable in size to a sparrow. Moreover, not all of their species make suitable nests: in total there are about twenty species of swiftlets, but only a few create edible nests. Most nests offered for sale for soup are from just two species of swifts: they are called "light nest" and "dark nest". The first ones make nests in the form of a bowl, using their saliva with several feathers as a building material. Dark nests are obtained from more feathers that are held together by saliva. Before preparing a dish, the nests are thoroughly cleaned, so light-colored nests are more valuable. In Russia, edible nests of swiftlets cannot be found; they are found in the Indian Ocean from the Andaman Islands to Thailand and Vietnam.

The first mention of a bird's nest dish was found in written sources belonging to the Chinese Ming Dynasty, which existed from 1368 to 1644. According to Chinese legend, such nests were built by strange birds that resembled swallows and ate sea foam and shellfish. They digested shellfish, mixed the resulting mass with saliva and built their houses. It was believed that such nests had healing properties and even increased potency in men. Until now, similar beliefs can be found among the Chinese and residents of Southeast Asia. But in fact, swiftlets, of course, do not eat sea foam and do not build nests from mollusks. They feed mainly on insects: their excellent vision and wide beaks allow them to quickly and deftly catch insects in flight. These amazing birds are also famous for their ability to navigate by echolocation, however, they are still far from bats, and birds have not yet learned to find food in this way.

The main ingredient in bird's nest soup is the saliva of a pair of swifts who decided to start a family and build a home for themselves. It’s hard to call it appetizing, but salangans’ saliva has large reserves of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and even has several useful minerals in the composition. Although there is no scientific evidence yet about medicinal properties this product is not available: scientists have only discovered that it contains substances that help restore cells and tissues of birds and support their immunity. But this apparently has no effect on humans.

Swifts like to build nests on the walls of rocks and caves, so collecting them is quite risky. Experienced rock climbers do this: they build “scaffolds” from bamboo and climb onto the walls with bamboo poles in their hands, which they use to tear nests from the wall. The poles at the ends are split or equipped with a special metal spatula to make it easier to remove the nests. Foragers are largely oblivious to the time of year and the number of eggs in nests, which has led to a sharp decline in the population of these birds. Some colonies disappeared completely, others were reduced in number by almost ninety percent. If this continues, swiftlets will completely die out, and bird's nest soup will become not just the most expensive, but an inaccessible delicacy. Therefore, scientists propose reducing the collection of nests and giving the birds a rest at least once a year so that they give birth to offspring. Many collectors agree with the opinion of experts, but illegal nest collecting still flourishes. In some places, this is the only income for residents, especially since nests can be sold very profitably on the black market.

The best soup nests are said to come from Malaysia, and are also collected in Indonesia, where supplies reach three hundred tons per year. Consume nests mainly in China, Singapore, Taiwan and North America. The soup is prepared in a water bath: in this case, the nest dissolves in water, which takes on the appearance and consistency of mucus or jelly.

"Swallow's nest soup"

One of the most expensive dishes Chinese cuisine - swallow's nest soup. In fact, the famous delicacy is prepared from the nests of swiftlets that live in the rocks on the shores of the South China Sea. These birds build nests from seaweed, holding their structure together with saliva. Swiftlet nests are rich in protein, iodine, phosphorus, calcium and others useful microelements. It is also believed that this dish It can rejuvenate facial skin and is a powerful aphrodisiac.

Sky-high prices for this exotic dish are quite justified, because getting the ingredients is not so easy, and the work of collecting bird’s nests can be called truly extreme. Salangans build their nests at considerable heights, and they can only be reached by going down the rock into the gorge. The work of white gold hunters is more dangerous than that of rock climbers, because they work without any insurance, and their lives and earnings depend on their dexterity and skill.

Cooking soup requires special skill. To begin, the nests are cleaned of fluff, feathers, lumps of dirt and other unnecessary elements using tweezers. For further preparation, they must swell well, so they are first doused with a solution of baking soda, and then placed in a hot liquid for about five hours, while periodically changing the cooled water to boiling water. Next, the swallow's nests are boiled in chicken broth, well seasoned with ginger and various oriental spices, to a jelly-like transparent mass of a yellowish color, with pleasant taste.

According to one legend, the Chinese first tried the nests of swifts while escaping persecution by the army of Genghis Khan. Chinese soldiers, driven by the Mongols to an island where there was practically nothing to eat, tried to boil bird's nests. It turned out that they are not only tasty, but also nutritious. Thanks to this diet, the warriors were able to fight and repel the enemy.

Edible bird's nests- these are bird nests that are bred by one of the types of swifts that live in the countries of Southeast Asia - Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. There are 24 species of swifts recorded worldwide, but only three species of swifts produce edible birds' nests. These are A. Fuciphagus, A. Maximus and C. Esculent. In turn, A. Fuciphagus is divided into A. Fuciphagus Vestitus, A. Fuciphagus Amechanus, A. Fuciphagus Perplexus and A. Fuciphagus Fuciphagus. Their nests are known for the most useful compositions of substances, because. their nests are made entirely of bird saliva. People call them “golden swallows”.

Swifts live in caves, in the mountains or in urban areas in rooms specially equipped for caves. Until the 1990s many swifts lived in Indonesia, but constant fires led to their mass migration to a safer neighboring country - Malaysia.

The mating season for swifts begins from February to May. At this time they release greatest number saliva, which they use to build nests. This process takes about 30-45 days. Another 3-7 days pass waiting for the chicks. And if a young pair of swifts feels comfortable and safe in their home, then 2 eggs will appear in their nest, which they take turns caring for. The eggs take 3-4 weeks to incubate, after which the chicks hatch and spend another 45-60 days in their nests before they learn to fly. Swifts have an extraordinary memory, so it is not difficult for them to find their nest among thousands of others after a long day 50 km from home. They leave their homes early in the morning at 5:30-6:30 and fly back by 7:15-7:30 in the evening. Some swifts return during the day to feed their chicks. Swifts usually live in pairs and they do not change their “life partner” until the end of their lives. They usually build their nests at night.

The consumption of bird's nests dates back to 618-907. AD during the reign of the Tang Dynasty. Today, the main consumers of bird's nests are China, Taiwan, Singapore and North America. Indonesia is the main supplier in the world, supplying 250-300 tons of nests per year, while Malaysia supplies only 25 tons, but Malaysian nests are considered to be the best in quality and nutritional content.

Nest soup (Chinese 燕窝, Pinyin yàn wō, Pall. yang wo) is considered a delicacy in China, Vietnam and Malaysia. The soup looks like mucus and has a consistency similar to jelly. Prepared in a water bath.

According to scientific research According to the University of Hong Kong, Japan's Shizuoka University and a group of experts from China, bird's nests have a beneficial effect on overall human health. Bird's nests have been proven to have the following therapeutic properties:

Bird's nest improves the color and condition of the skin, reduces the number of wrinkles and prevents their formation on the skin. long time, rejuvenates and nourishes the skin.
Helps with diseases respiratory tract, bronchial asthma, stops pathological changes in the lungs.
Helps increase male power, treats impotence.
Useful for pregnant and lactating women, promotes the mental development of the child.
Helps normalize heart function, improves blood circulation and stabilizes blood pressure.
Increases immunity, helps with general weakness of the body, promotes faster recovery of the body after illnesses and surgical operations.
It is recommended to use bird's nest for diseases of the digestive system, kidneys, liver cirrhosis, and in the treatment of hepatitis B. It has a persistent antitumor effect for cancer of the esophagus, larynx and intestines. It can also be used to prevent the above diseases.
Indicated for the treatment of complications after radiation and chemotherapy (dryness and inflammation of the throat, constipation, nausea, etc.)
Modern research from the University of Hong Kong also provides evidence that bird's nest provides positive results in the complex treatment of lung cancer and AIDS.

There are no known contraindications, but individual intolerance is possible.

The biochemical composition was studied in detail by Taiwanese researchers, and the results were recorded using HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) and GC-MS (Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrophotometer) preparations.

According to the above studies, the main component of bird's nest is glycoprotein - a biomolecule consisting of protein and carbohydrate. That is, a bird's nest consists of 50% protein and 30% carbohydrates. Glycoproteins are important for the functioning of cells of the immune system. In addition, 5% of bird's nest is iron, 3% is other minerals, 1.4% is fiber. 17 important amino acids were also found in bird's nest.

Amino acids

Irreplaceable

Leucine 5.9748
Valine 4.2705
Threonine 4.1686
Phenylalanine 3.9778
Lysine 2.2213
Isoleucine 2.0331
Methionine 0.1613

Replaceable

Tyrosine 5.2437
Serine 4.6602
Arginine 4.1251
Glycine 2.4528
Histidine 2.0536
Cysteine 0.4609
Aspartic acid 5.5546
Glutamic acid 5.5079
Proline 4.0430
Alanine 1.7730

Calories (kcal.) 281 Protein (g.) 37.5 Fats (g.) 0.3 Carbohydrates (g.) 32.1 Calcium (mg.) 485 Phosphorus (mg.) 18 Iron (mg.) 3 Water ( gr.) 24.5

Bird's nest, according to research from the University of Hong Kong, contains a hormone that stimulates cell division and has epidermal growth factor, which stimulates tissue growth, cellular regeneration and cellular immunity in the human body. Dermatologists in the USA Stanley Cohen and Rita Levi-Montalcini recognized that epidermal growth factor is one of the most important components of the epidermis, stimulating cell growth and being one of the most effective for skin care.

Thanks to its unique composition, bird's nest is easily and completely absorbed by the human body. According to scientists, edible bird's nest is an invaluable product used in the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Their experiments and practical experience have proven positive effects using bird's nest for cell regeneration human body, stimulation of the immune system, treatment of bronchial, digestive and heart diseases, healing of postoperative sutures, etc. High value bird's nests in eastern medical practice explains its popularity in Hong Kong, China, Japan, Singapore and the USA, despite the high cost of the product.

Edible natural bird's nests have a unique composition of useful substances and have a positive effect on the condition of the skin of the face and body, and are also effectively used in the prevention and restoration of the body from various diseases, but at the same time, scientists believe that the potential beneficial properties of bird's nests have not yet been fully studied. And perhaps new amazing discoveries await us in the future...

Swallow's nests

Swifts of the genus Aerodramus, native to Southeast Asia, use their own saliva to make nests.

A drink is also prepared from the nests and the “snow mushroom”.

Drink from swallow's nest and snow mushroom

Soup from the nest

Nowadays, it is unlikely that you will surprise any of our compatriots with stories about such exotic gastronomic dishes as fugu sashimi, roast crocodile or durian fruits, which, according to the reviews of those who have tasted them, resemble strawberries and cream with the taste of rotten herring. But even today, not many can boast that they have tried “bird’s nest soup” - an oriental delicacy and the most expensive food in the world. In Hong Kong markets, the cost of the nests from which this dish is prepared reaches over 4 thousand US dollars per kilogram.

The creators of nests that humans use for food are swiftlets - small birds slightly larger than an ordinary sparrow. Moreover, out of more than 20 existing species Only a few swiftlets produce nests that are edible. The bulk of nests sold all over the world belong to two species: the so-called “light-nest” and “dark-nest” swiftlets. The first one builds a cup-like nest that includes layers of salivary secretions with a few feathers between them (which is why it looks light); the nest of the second contains many feathers, held together by saliva, and therefore appears dark and has a fleecy structure. Due to the presence of feathers, raw nest material must be cleaned before preparing it for soup and other dishes. Both swiftlets are found from the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean to the marine coastal areas of Thailand, Vietnam, and east to Indonesia and the Philippines. In most areas, the habitats of these two birds overlap.

The earliest mention of edible nests dates back to the Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). There is a legend that the swallow-like birds that built these nests fed on certain shellfish and sea foam. Undigested shellfish fibers were then mixed with saliva to serve as building material for nest construction. Together with the prowess and longevity of swiftlets, this legend helped spread the belief among Southeast Asians, especially the Chinese, that the translucent fibers of the nests had healing, tonic, and even potency-enhancing abilities.

However, contrary to traditional belief, swiftlets do not feed on shellfish or sea foam. They are insectivorous birds. With excellent eyesight and short, wide beaks, swiftlets are perfectly adapted to catch small insects in flight.

As a result of living in dark caves, swiftlets also developed the ability to navigate acoustically using echolocation. Unlike the impulses emitted by bats, the echolocation signals of swiftlets - a series of sharp clicks - can be heard by a person located near the entrance to the cave. However, the echolocation of swiftlets is not as sensitive as that of bats and is therefore useless in determining the location of feeding insects.

The sticky material of the nest is secreted by the male and female swiftlets from a pair of salivary glands, i.e. The main ingredient in a cup of "bird's nest soup" is the protein, carbohydrate and fat-rich saliva of swiftlet small quantity minerals. There is no evidence that it has any medical value. Scientists have discovered that this saliva contains substances that promote cellular and tissue repair and support immune system salangans. But no reliable effects on people were found.

Collecting nests is a risky activity because swiftlets build them on cave walls tens of meters from the ground. Experienced and skilled climbers are hired to collect these nests. They erect temporary “scaffolding” from bamboo. To remove nests from the wall, pickers use a bamboo pole with a candle attached to it. The end of the pole is split into a conical basket or equipped with a metal spatula. A modern innovation is to replace the candle with a small light bulb and have a collecting net suspended below.

Usually, collectors tear nests from the walls of the cave, regardless of the season, and therefore often die a large number of eggs and newly hatched chicks. The result of this practice has been a sharp decline in the populations of swiftlets that produce edible nests. The numbers of some have decreased by 80–90% in recent years, while others have disappeared completely. In addition, the forests where these birds feed in during the day, are quickly cut down to obtain building material. The alarming decline in swiftlet populations means urgent action is needed to conserve these birds.

However, simply banning the collection and sale of swiftlet nests will not solve the problem of overexploitation, since this activity provides the livelihood local residents living near caves. Besides, there will always be people willing to risk their lives to do it illegally. Swiftlet nests are small and can be smuggled extremely easily. Trying to impose such a ban on the black market is almost impossible.

And yet, today, the majority of collectors in countries where swiftlets that produce edible nests live agree with scientists’ proposals to halve the frequency of collecting the nests of these birds and at least once a year to give them the opportunity to freely produce offspring, and therefore survive.

Bird's nest soup. Swallow's nest soup