Swallow's nest (Tsubame no Su)

Japanese: つばめの巣(燕の巣) - つばめのす

It is an ingredient used in Chinese cuisine, and in China it is written as bird's nest or bird's nest. It is made by drying the nests of swiftlets, which are built on high rocks near the sea in places such as India, Indonesia, and the Malay Peninsula where predators cannot approach, and is used in soup after soaking in hot water. The nests are thought to be solidified with the swallows' sticky, paste-like saliva. Since it is difficult to collect because it is in small quantities, it is expensive and considered a delicacy, and since the Qing dynasty it has been said to be a high-class dish second only to roast suckling pig. Its unusual composition of food components is 13.4% water, 49.9% protein, 0% fat, 30.6% carbohydrate, and 6.2% ash, making it difficult to call it either an animal food or a plant food.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中国料理に用いられる材料の一種で，中国では燕窩，燕巣などと書きあらわされる。インド，インドネシア，マレー半島などの海に近い，外敵の近寄り難いような高い岩場につくられるアナツバメの巣を乾燥させたもので，湯にもどしてスープに用いる。巣は，ツバメの粘性の高いのり状の唾液でかためたものとされている。量が少なく採取が困難なため高価で珍味とされ，清代以降，焼烤席(子豚の丸焼き)に次ぐ高級料理といわれている。食物成分としては，水分13.4％，タンパク質49.9％，脂肪0，糖質30.6％，灰分6.2％という変わった組成で，動物性食品とも植物性食品ともいい難い。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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