
Sarang Burung
Walet History
Bird’s nests are prized in Chinese culture for their supposedly high nutritional value, particularly in bird’s nest soup. The nests are made by swiftlets using their own solidified saliva and are harvested for human consumption. It is claimed that Admiral Cheng Ho from the Ming Dynasty is the first person in the world who ate bird nest. According to legend, during the 15th century, he and his crew encountered a thunderstorm while sailing across the South-East Asian sea. They were stranded on a Malay island and had no food supply. Fortunately, they discovered bird’s nests on the cliff and consumed them to stop their hunger. Admiral Cheng Ho and his crew became energetic and regained health after having them for sometime. He soon realized that bird’s nest is a superior food that provide various health benefits and brought them back as a gift for the emperor. Ever since then, bird’s nest has become the supplement with high nutritional value for general wellbeing in China. Due to its rarity and rich in nutritional and historical values, demand and price for bird’s nest remains sky high.
