Edible Bird Nest: an industry based on Chinese culture

Snow Ning JiangMay 8th, 2009

What is edible bird nest?

The nests built by a few species of swiftletsThe swiftlets mainly are living in deep caves or under the roofs of coves along the seashores in southeastern Asian countries. The nests are entirely out of gelatinous strands of its salivaIt’s known by its high nutrition and health benefits as a remarkable delicacy

Two kinds of bird nest

White-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphogus)

“red-blood” nest: best and purest ones with high nutrition

$2000 per kilogram $10,000 per kilogram

Black-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus maximus)

The legendary gourmet and tonic

Delicacy in Chinese cuisine only for the royalty and upper classRich in nutrients and health benefits:

aiding digestion; improving voice; overall benefits to the immune system; boosting energy; raise libido; rejuvenate skin; nourishing Ying; useful in the treatment of AIDS(Chiang 2000: 397- 398); aphrodisiac.

Scientific findings

The actual compositional properties of both white and red “blood” nests:

proteinous material (62-63%), carbohydrate (25.62-27.26%), ash(2.1%), and lipid(2.1%, in descending order)

Limited nutrition: Ovotranserrin-like protein(same as that in the eggs) to inhibit influenza infection (Marcone 2005: 1131). Birds’ nest in itself is not a complete food protein.“The water-soluble protein is destroyed during the cleaning process, and the therapeutic properties are lost” (Summers 1998)

A cultural constructed delicacy and tonic?

Survey to 11 college students Nine Chinese; one from Malaysia; one from Singapore

Findings:Flat, mild tasting with jelly like things in itMost believe it’s good to their health but not exactly knowBird nests are usually used to make soup with chicken or sugarA decent gift and a symbol for wealth and prestige

History of the bird nests trade

Used medicinally in tradtional Chinese medicine dates back to Tang (618-907 AD) and Sung(960-1270 AD) dynasties.(Koon and Cranbrook 2002)Recorded literally first in Ming dynasty(1364-1683 AD) in travelling notes and used widely among royalties in Qing Dynasty(1636-1972)An exotic food for the Chinese; cultural meaning started being constructed at the origin

An intra-Asia trade system

The international trade dates back to the Dutch East India Company (VOC).VOC was pushed out of the trade by local rulers and competition from Asian traders

Why??the trading links with the China market were dominated by Chinese oversea commercial networksThe consumption market is mainly in the mainland ChinaThe intra-Asia trade system based on Asian culture

Production Process: calling for social just and safety

Dangerous nest-harvesting work --- men climbing hundreds of feet up on cave walls and need

the use of temporary scaffolding made of bamboo

The labor intensive tedious cleaning process of the bird nests --- women

carefully remove the adulteration young local women workers low wage only can be done by hands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KILaD5SYDE4&feature=related

Where does the profit go?

The shift of the management

The unequal share of the profits cave owners – 10~30% workers – 40% traders -- 30- 50%

Big number of workers who risk the danger get the least profit

Destroy to the ecosystem: Bird nest decline and other affects

The significant decline of the population of swiflets since 1980s with the increasing of the bird nest price.Why? -- Physical and socio-economic causes

The increasing price result to over harvesting The collection of guanoThe invasion of green algaeThe use of pesticides in the huge oil palm plantations close to the caveThe change of the ownership, involvement of different actors, leasing and subleasing arrangementsThe lost of old taboo and harvesting traditionPeople’s staying for 24 hours to prevent theft

Alternatives

Protect the species of swiftletsEncouraging swiftlests to breed on artificial structure

Making purpose-build buildings to harvest nests and increase the population of the swiftletsMore safety in collecting the bird nestsSmall scale bird nest harvesting farm and increasing of small and medium industry

Conclusions

A cultural and social constructed value of bird nestsBird nest as a symbol of prestige and a wealthThe gender division and social just issue in the bird nests productionBird nest industry is relatively less influenced by the global agriculture system as it’s based on the Chinese culture and Asian communityThe destroy to ecosystem caused by the change of the management and other changes in agriculture which resulted from the globalization