Edible bird’s nest, built by the aerodramus genus of swiftlets, has long been regarded as a quintessential health food in Chinese culture. There remain many myths, beliefs, and puzzles surrounding it that have yet to be thoroughly investigated by science.
Edible bird’s nest, or 燕窝 (yàn wo), is one of the most expensive Asian food delicacies today, retailing for about S$5,000 per kg. It has been prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine for over a thousand years, and forms a multi-billion dollar annual trade. It is usually white in colour, but there also exists a red version, called “blood nest” (血燕, xuĕ yàn), which is significantly more expensive and believed to have more medicinal value.