The origin of bird's nest
Bird's nest, also known as Yancai, Yangen, Yanfang, Yandeng, Golden Thread, etc. It is not only a precious cooking material, but also a tonic with high nutritional value.
The bird's nest, as its name implies, is the nest of swallows. However, it is not an ordinary swallow's nest, but a special swallow's nest ... Jin Siyan.
Jin Siyan is a bird, swift family. It is a migratory bird, which flies from Siberia and other places to natural caves along the tropical coast every year from 65438+February to March of the following year to breed. Jin Siyan is smaller than the swallows we usually see. Its back feathers are grayish brown with golden luster, its wings are pointed and long, and its four toes grow forward. This swallow has well-developed mucus glands in its throat, and the saliva it secretes can solidify into solids in the air, which is the main substance for their nesting. Jin Siyan lays eggs in March and April every year. Before laying eggs, they fly on the sea and high altitude every day, sometimes for several kilometers, breaking through the clouds, sucking rain and dew, eating insects, algae, whitebait and other things. After digestion, drill into steep, shady, high-altitude cliff cracks and deep holes, spit and nest. It will take about 20 days to build.
The bird's nest is half-moon-shaped, resembling a human ear, with a diameter of 6-7 cm, a thick base and a thin profile wall, and weighs about10-15g. The nest has neat periphery and rough interior, like a loofah net. The whole bird's nest is white, glittering and translucent, elastic and attached to the rocky cliffs. Known as "precious medicinal materials" and "oriental treasures".
The nests built by Jin Siyan for the first time were completely condensed by a large amount of mucus secreted by their throats. It is pure and hairless. This kind of bird's nest has the best quality and is the top grade of bird's nest. In the feudal dynasty, it was often chosen as a tribute, so it was named "Yan Guan".
After the bird's nest pickers seized the opportunity to pick the bird's nest, Jin Siyan had to build a nest for the second time. Because the spawning season is approaching, Jin Siyan is plump, with a lot of jelly in his throat, and his nest is relatively fat. However, due to time constraints, they brought feathers and grass ... and mixed them with the jelly in his throat to build a nest again. It was rough, with many impurities and poor nutrition. The bird's nest collected at this time is called "Mao Yan".
Jin Siyan had to build a nest for the third time just before spawning. At this time, its throat forcibly spits out bloody mucus, some of which are bright red, and the built nest can be described as painstaking condensation. At this time, people who adopt swallows should not adopt any more, so that Jin Siyan can have children until the mother swallows leave the nest with the milk swallows. This is called "lair" or "blood swallow".
Another kind of bird's nest is wetted by the red liquid oozing from the attached red rock wall, and its whole body is dark red, also called "blood swallow" or "red swallow". It contains some minerals, has good nutrition and low yield, and is regarded as a treasure in bird's nest.
Collecting bird's nests on the climbing wall is a very hard and dangerous job. The collector carries a bag and climbs between steep cliffs, like a monkey stepping on a hole, scratching the gap and looking for the collection everywhere. They are as light as swallows and as strong as eagles, and sometimes their hands and feet are "big" attached to the rock wall; Sometimes with the help of ropes, such as swinging in a canyon. Every move is exciting. If you lose and fall into a deep ditch, you will be shattered. Therefore, the preciousness of bird's nest lies not only in its nourishing function, but also in the life-threatening factors during collection.
Bird's nest, a rare and expensive thing, is mainly produced in Java, Sumatra, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and other places. Also produced in China, Sichuan, Fujian and other provinces.
Legend has it that Zheng He, a navigator in Ming Dynasty, was the first person to eat bird's nest in China. Zheng He's ocean-going fleet was caught in a big storm at sea and anchored on a desert island in the Malay archipelago, where food was in short supply. I accidentally found the bird's nest abandoned on the rocky cliff, so I ordered my men to pick it, wash it and stew it with clear water to satisfy their hunger. A few days later, the crew were ruddy and angry. So when they returned home, the fleet brought some to Ming Chengzu. In fact, before this, Jia Ming in Yuan Dynasty (A.D. 1279- 1368) wrote that "Bird's nest is sweet, yellow, black, moldy, poisonous and should not be eaten". Among the dozens of "table menus" recorded in Tiaoding Collection during the Kangxi period of Qing Dynasty, bird's nest ranked first.
Bird's nest can be divided into three categories: cave swallows collected from nature, earth swallows artificially raised indoors and processed bird's nest. In addition, there are artificial bird's nest made of seaweed and fake bird's nest made of starch. This kind of fake can almost be confused with the real one, so to identify bird's nest, we must first distinguish between true and false, and then classify and grade it.
There are many ways to cook bird's nest, and the most popular one is the famous dish "clear soup swallow". Before cooking, bird's nest is swollen, and its methods include alkali hair, evaporation and foaming. First, soak the bird's nest in cold water, then pour clear water into the white porcelain plate with edges, and then gently take out the bird's nest and put it into the plate (because the bird's nest and the plate are white and hairy, impurities such as feathers, impurities and deterioration are easy to find, and remove them with a sharp pick. Be sure to choose a clean and light operation, and don't mess up the shape and break the bird's nest silk. After washing, wash it with cold water, put it into soup and simmer slowly, then add ham, chicken, quail and pigeon eggs. It tastes delicious. If you eat sweet, you can also stew it with rock sugar and fresh coconut juice or chrysanthemum and white lotus, which has a unique flavor. "Suiyuan Food List" said: "This thing is clear but not greasy; We should follow the principles of "birds of a feather flock together", "match softness with softness, and match clearness with clearness", otherwise it will be a good thing and not delicious. If you don't use bird's nest at that time, you can keep it in the refrigerator and change it with water once or twice a day.
Bird's nest has high edible and medicinal value. According to the food composition table compiled by China Institute of Medical and Health Sciences and the bird's nest inspection co-authored by Professor Guan Peisheng and Professor Wang Runxiang of the Department of Biochemistry of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, bird's nest contains 49.9% protein, and contains a large number of bioactive protein molecules, as well as carrier fat, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium and potassium, which has the function of yin beauty. According to Zhao Xuemin's Compendium of Materia Medica in the Qing Dynasty, "Bird's nest can nourish lung yin, eliminate phlegm and relieve cough, and make it clear, which is a holy medicine to recuperate fatigue. Any disease of lung deficiency that cannot clear the disciples can be treated with this. " According to experts' research, bird's nest contains epidermal growth factor and auxiliary cell division components, which is helpful to stimulate cell growth and reproduction, promote human tissue growth, cell regeneration and immune function produced by cells. In addition, bird's nest also contains a lot of mucin, glycoprotein, calcium, phosphorus and other natural nutrients, which have the effects of moistening lung and dryness, nourishing kidney and yin, and tonifying deficiency, and can enhance the body's resistance to diseases and help resist colds, coughs and colds. Therefore, it is the most effective for smokers and people with respiratory diseases, and it is a pure and noble natural health care product. Bird's nest has a unique effect on moistening lung, strengthening waist, strengthening spleen and stomach, and stopping bleeding from trauma.