The Bird's Nest is the nest of seabird Jin Siyan. Most of them are built on the cliffs of tropical and subtropical islands, surrounded by rolling waves and blue sky and white clouds. Jin Siyan began to build a nest in spring. Its mouth can secrete a gelatinous saliva, which is dried by the sea breeze and turned into a translucent yellowish substance, which is the main component of bird's nest. Jin Siyan made a nest with this saliva, slender seaweed, down feathers and soft plant fibers, which is what we call a "bird's nest". Bird's nest is a precious food and a precious medicinal material. Chinese characters have the effect of nourishing lung and yin, and are mainly used to treat cough and hemoptysis caused by fatigue. India, Malay Archipelago, Hainan Island in China and South China Sea Islands all have the origin of bird's nest, which is also called swallow dish, swallow root, swallow house book, swallow lamp and golden thread. It is not only a valuable 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.