Among all types of edible bird's nest, "blood nest" is the most prized. Rumor has it that it is formed when swiftlets, lacking sufficient saliva, spit out blood, making it the essence of their arduous efforts, and thus much more nourishing than ordinary bird's nest. This is actually a misunderstanding; the red color of blood nest is simply due to the oxidation of minerals within the bird's nest. However, the value of blood nest is indeed well-deserved: blood nest accounts for only 3% of the total bird's nest production. Due to its rich iron content, it is particularly nourishing for pregnant women or around the time of menstruation.

Why is blood nest red?

In fact, blood nests all come from the nests built by swiftlets on the rock walls of caves, mostly in quarter-sphere or triangular shapes. There are three main reasons for the reddish color of the nests: first, swiftlets feed on seaweed from the sea, deep-mountain insects, and termites, so their saliva contains more minerals, causing the nest to easily oxidize and turn red; second, minerals from ancient rock walls slowly permeate into the nest through the contact surface between the nest and the rock, and natural mineral water dripping into the nest from the cave also causes color changes; third, the air inside the cave is very stuffy and hot, becoming even more so deeper inside the cave, and the mineral-rich bird's nest oxidizes due to the hot air, turning greyish-red or orange-red.

How to distinguish blood nest?

The preciousness of blood nest

First, in recent years, there has been increasing demand from compatriots in China. They believe that blood nest is more nourishing than white nest and more unique than white imperial nest, making it a more presentable gift. This has led to a surge in demand for blood nest. Coupled with its inherent rarity, its price has remained consistently high. Second, the quantity available is extremely limited. Currently, blood nest is produced in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Only Indonesia has a larger supply, with the others providing very little. Furthermore, blood nest is very rare, accounting for only 3% of the total bird's nest production, with the top-grade being less than 1%, making it exceptionally precious.

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