The Edible Nest Swiftlet Industry in Southeast Asia: Capitalism Meets Commensalism

Edible birds nests, made from the hardened saliva of cave-nesting swiftlets (Apodidae, Collocaliini) have long been a sought-after delicacy among Chinese gourmands and are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. The trade in birds nests is of considerable antiquity, dating perha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHuman ecology : an interdisciplinary journal Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 179 - 184
Main Author Thorburn, Craig Carpenter
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Boston Springer 01.02.2015
Springer US
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Animal products
Anthropology
Birds
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
Commensalism
Environmental Management
Ethnic foods
Geography
Nesting
Nests
Social Sciences
Sociology
Southeast Asia
Maximum Tolerable Level
Methemoglobinemia
Nest Site Fidelity
Nest Site
Limestone Cliff
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Summary:Edible birds nests, made from the hardened saliva of cave-nesting swiftlets (Apodidae, Collocaliini) have long been a sought-after delicacy among Chinese gourmands and are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. The trade in birds nests is of considerable antiquity, dating perhaps as far back as the Tang Dynasty (618907 A.D.) (Lau and Melville 1994).
ISSN:0300-7839
1572-9915
DOI:10.1007/s10745-014-9713-1