Tuesday, June 30, 2009

認識燕窩 AN INTRODUCTION TO BIRD’S NEST

燕窝是雨燕科金丝燕的巢穴﹐多建在热带、亚热带海岛的悬崖绝壁上。金丝燕在春季开始做窝,它的口腔里能分泌出一 种胶质唾液,吐出后经海风吹干,就变成半透明而略带浅黄色的物质,这是燕窝的主要成分。金丝燕用这种唾液和着纤细的海藻、身上的绒羽和柔软的植物纤维等做 成巢穴,这就是我们所说的“燕窝”。

西方所謂的“Edible Bird's Nest”就是“可吃的鳥巢”的意思。
築成“可吃的鳥巢”金絲燕﹐它與普通家燕不相同﹐体积較家燕小一些﹐翅長而尖﹐短尾﹐腳細弱﹐飛翔力很強﹐不善 行走或站立﹐故它們好像蝙蝠那樣勾著來休息或睡覺﹐它們用非常發達的唾液泉﹐以分泌出來的唾液在空氣中可凝成固體。

金絲燕一年裡可築巢三次﹐產卵期接近時 ﹐體態會逐漸丰滿起來﹐唾液也較多﹐所以築成的巢穴也比較大﹐有時由于時間太緊迫﹐它們就借助一些其他建築材料﹐比如本身絨羽﹐小草﹐小樹根之類﹐再與唾 液混合一起筑巢.

燕子一年筑巢三次﹐是為了生蛋迎接小生命的到來。每個巢窩只住一次﹐待小燕子生長能飛時既棄窩而去。燕子築窩大概45日﹐7日至10日生蛋﹐用15日 左右孵蛋﹐出世的小燕子會在45至50日後才會飛走。這一段過程前後共110日至120日。采燕窩工作都會在小燕子飛走後才進行﹐金絲燕的壽命則是 15 - 20年。燕窩的出產地在東南亞一帶﹐如印尼﹑馬來西亞﹑泰國﹑緬甸﹑越南等地區﹐其中以印尼燕窩產量為最高﹐有統計資料表明印尼所產燕窩佔目前市場 份額的80% - 85%﹐當然質量之優也是愛好享用燕窩者之選。

燕窩乃是中國四大傳統滋補佳品之尊以及「山珍海味」八珍之首。四大傳統補品為燕窩人參魚翅鮑魚。八大珍品則有燕窩狸唇駝峰猴頭熊掌鹿筋黃唇膠

中國人食用燕窩的歷史可追溯至唐代﹐燕窩當時已經是朝廷的「貢品」。據說女皇帝武則天可是當時享用燕窩的帝王愛好佼佼者。在十七世紀後期﹐年年都有大量的 燕窩從爪哇的巴達維亞(現稱雅加達)輸入中國。

珍燕盞天然純正燕窩含豐富營養成份。對于﹕愛美者﹑養生者﹑孕婦﹑孩童﹑老年人﹐小量而長期享用會得到一定的效果。「本草綱目」記載﹐燕窩入肺生氣﹐入腎滋水﹐入胃補脾﹐補而不燥﹐潤而不滯。古往今來﹐它已被視為食療補品之尊.

Bird’s nest is one of the four major traditional food supplements in China and has been regarded as the top precious product among delicacies. The four major traditional food supplements include bird’s nest, ginseng, shark’s fins and abalone while the eight precious products include bird’s nest, fox lip, camel hump, monkey head, bear palm, deer tendons, dried meat & ect.

The practice of bird’s nest consumption by the Chinese can be traced to the Tang Dynasty where it was already one of the “royal tributes”. It was said that Queen Wu Ze Tian was one of the emperors in those days who loved bird’s nests. In the later part of the 17 th century, large quantities of bird’s nest were imported into China from Jakarta in Jawa each year.

Bird’s nests is a structure made from the saliva of swallows combined with other substances and what Westerners consider called “EDIBLE BIRD’S NEST” is actually bird’s nests which can be eaten.

The golden swallows which build such edible bird’s nests are different from the ordinary swallows we see. They are smaller in size with longer and sharper wings, shorter tails, thinner legs, strong flying capabilities and seldom walk or stand. They sleep or rest just like bats, by anchoring themselves onto structures. They utilize well-developed salivary glands to secrete saliva which solidifies when exposed to the air.

Golden swallows build their nests three times a year and when they are about to lay eggs, their bodies grow fat and their saliva production increases, resulting in their ability to build larger nests. In times of urgency, they would use other building materials such as their own feathers, grass and roots and mix them with their saliva to build their nests.

In fact, the reason swallows build their nests three times a year solely for the purpose of laying eggs for propagation purposes. They stay in each nest only once, waiting for their nestlings to grow up and leave the nest.

Swallows take about 45 days to build their nests, 7 -10 days to lay eggs and about 15 days to hatch them. Swallow nestling would be able to fly after 45 - 50 days. This process takes about 110 - 120 days and harvesting of bird’s nest is done after the young swallows have flown away. The lifespan of golden swallows is about 15 - 20 years.

The bird’s nest production in South East Asia is mainly concentrated in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam. Among these nations, Indonesia produces the most bird’s nest and statistical evidence showed that Indonesia produces approximately 80% - 85% of the total market supply. Quality is of course one of the important factors considered by those who love bird’s nest.

Whole golden bird’s nest is rich in nutrients and it brings about excellent effects for those who consume small quantities on a long term basis. They include those beauty-conscious, health-conscious, pregnant ladies, children and the aged. It has been recorded in the “Ben Cao Gang Mu” that bird’s nest produces energy upon absorption by the lungs, nourishes the kidneys and the spleen upon absorption by the stomach and it is not heaty. It has been highly regarded as the best nutritional product since ancient times.


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