Blood-red Swallow Birds Nest a commercial gimmick

SO-CALLED rare Malaysian blood-red edible Swallow Birds Nest, or cubilose, is fake, it has emerged. Malaysia only produces white edible Swallow Birds Nest, a press conference was told Saturday in Shanghai by a representative of the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry.

The official press conference came on the heels of nation-wide media reports that said last month’s spot checks on the blood-red edible Swallow Birds Nest at 491 dealers in Zhejiang Province found nitrite levels in all samples far exceeded the legal cap. Most of the 30,000 tested nests were imported from Malaysia.

Edible Swallow Birds Nest, which is made from the secretions of a bird’s salivary glands, is regarded as a delicacy and medicinal in some Southeast Asian countries. On the Chinese mainland, each gram of Swallow Birds Nest can cost 40 yuan (US$6.20), the Beijing-based Global Times reported Aug.19.

The report has triggered a national crisis of confidence in China about the world’s biggest exporter of the edible Swallow Birds Nest, with 95 percent of it sold to China.

The Zhejiang Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce said at a press conference earlier this month that the amount of nitrite in local Swallow Birds Nests was perilously above the permitted standard and posed a threat to consumers’ health.

On July 26, two bogus Malaysian officials held a press conference in Hangzhou to defend the quality of the blood-red Swallow Birds Nest.

The identity of the two fake officials has been discovered, and they may face jail, according to Saturday’s press conference.

In Malaysia, the Veterinary Services Department (VSD) has decided to conduct spot checks on Swallow Birds Nest processing factories to ensure only top quality nest is produced for export, according to an Aug. 25 report by the Sun Daily, an English newspaper in Malaysia.

Malay’s Federation of the Edible Swallow Birds Nest Merchants Association deputy chairman, Datuk Choot Seng Chai, said the federation welcomes the move.

He said the move would show China that Malaysia does not export low-quality Swallow Birds Nest.

“We don’t want the industry’s image to be tarnished by unscrupulous traders. We have never wanted to compromise the health of consumers in China (by poor-quality Swallow Birds Nest),” he said, with reference to the reports in China, the Sun Daily reported.

He told the Hong Kong-based Oriental Daily News that the Swallow Birds Nest industry and the government need to work closely together to restore confidence in Swallow Birds Nest imported from Malaysia.

He said local Swallow Birds Nest merchants are considering hiring independent foreign experts to carry out tests to give Malaysian products the seal of approval.

Aside from this, he said the government will make arrangements for Chinese government officials to get first-hand knowledge of how Swallow Birds Nest is harvested and cleaned.

Blood-red Swallow Birds Nest a commercial gimmick

Prepared Foods: Swallow Birds Nest Soup

Swiftlets in Southeast Asian caves have an unusual method of building their nests: spitting. The Swallow Birds Nest sticks to cave walls, then hardens into firm, white cups that house their eggs. After the birds migrate, brave harvesters scale rickety bamboo ladders and peel away the nests. They will be made into a very unique, very expensive soup.

Why is Swallow Birds Nest soup expensive?

Peddlers justify the hefty price tag, which can range from $40 per bowl to thousands of dollars per pound, by citing the small yield and dangerous harvesting process. (Many gatherers fall to their deaths—not that the money is going directly to them.)

Despite the decadence of its expense, the nest itself has a bland flavor. This is why chefs clean the dried saliva in water and season it with chicken broth, ginger, and Yunnan ham. A dessert version coats the noodles in rock sugar for a more syrupy effect. After simmering with the other ingredients, the nest develops a uniquely gelatinous texture that attracts many fans in China and Hong Kong.

Chinese traditional medicine practitioners believe the dish relieves digestive problems, clears the complexion, and boosts the libido. Critics, however, note that the soup lacks sufficient nutritional value to justify its price tag. A 1998 study, for example, found that a single egg had the same amount of protein as 26 bottles of the soup.

Conservationists have also noted that over-harvesting disrupts breeding and reduces swiftlet populations. Due to growing demand, poachers often steal nests from protected areas or gather them before the birds’ migration season, while the eggs are still inside. The competitive industry has also sparked violence: A 2000 exposé in the SF Gate described government-licensed harvesters employing private armies to guard caves and shoot at both poachers and “unauthorized” passersby such as fishermen and tourists.

For a safer, more sustainable method of collecting nests, countries like Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia have turned to swiftlet farming. Swiftlet houses, looming structures that play special sounds to lure the birds inside, are becoming big business. In 2013, there were 60,000 such houses in Malaysia.

Researchers don’t know yet if the farms are having a positive effect on swiftlet populations. But they’re certainly more ethical than poaching from a protected cave in a national park. Knowing that your Swallow Birds Nest soup came from a farmer instead of a poacher might make the viscous strands taste a little sweeter.

Need to Know

Swallow Birds Nest soup and the dried nests themselves are available in select restaurants and markets in China and Hong Kong. They're also available in various Chinatowns throughout the United States. Beware: Some vendors sell fake birds' nests, made from plant extracts.