Facts About Different Types of Bird's Nest Soup

Edible Bird’s Nest Soup Types: Red, Gold, White and Wild

If you’ve heard of Bird’s Nest Soup, then you’ve probably seen photos of eager – and sometimes unsure – diners lifting to their mouth a spoonful of broth mixed with gelatinous nest fibers.

What you probably don’t know is that there are multiple types of bird’s nests that vary based on where they were harvested and what color they are.

We sell four different types of nests: red, gold, white and wild.

Facts About Different Types of Bird's Nest Soup

Red Edible Bird’s Nest Soup: The Legendary Delicacy

The rarest and most expensive bird’s nest soup are red, and rightly so. Their crimson coloration is breathtaking and creates an unmatched aesthetic for soups and desserts.

While the rarity of these nests is undisputed, exactly why they’re red has long been a point of controversy and wonder.

There are those who believe the nests are red because the saliva of the swallow building a red nest is laced with blood. The bird bleeds, they say, because the bird’s mouth is worn out from building multiple nests over its lifetime.

Others say the red bird's nest soup are produced when swallows consume lotus seeds, whose reddish hue mixes with the bird’s saliva.

Recently, scientists have put forth a more plausible explanation. They say that the nests turn red because moisture and oxygen in the air react with minerals the nest pulls from the rocks to which they cling. The result is a magnificent rust color.

These nests’ striking coloration demands a high price, making them the most sought-after edible bird’s nest soup on the market.

Gold Edible Bird’s Nest Soup: Rare in Their Own Right

While red bird’s nest soup are the rarest of the four we sell, gold bird’s nest soup are also a prized ingredient for diners across the world.

These nests account for 10% of the global Bird’s Nest Soup supply, which makes them the second-rarest type of Bird’s Nest Soup on the market.

The story behind the color of these nests is very similar to that of the red nests. They also extract minerals from the rocks around them, and those minerals interact with oxygen and humidity to produce an elegant gold color.

While they aren’t quite as stunning as the red nests, gold bird’s nest soup still add a tremendous color element to your dish.

White Edible Bird’s Nest Soup: The Popular Choice

White nests are widely regarded as the “Caviar of the East” and are beloved for their unique taste.

These nests are built in the same way that red and gold nests are built. However, the chemical reactions that make gold and red nests don’t take place with white nests.

While these nests may be white when they’re packaged, they undergo a change in color as they’re soaked during the prep process.

Instead of maintaining their white tint, they become translucent. While white nests may not have the color pop of their more expensive counterparts, their taste more than makes up for it.

Wild Edible Bird’s Nest Soup: A Rare Type

The final type of nest is the wild bird’s nest soup. This type of nest contrasts the house nests we mentioned earlier.

Wild nests are nests that swallows build on the walls of limestone caves throughout Indonesia and Asia.

These wild nests are often the most prized – red wild nests are even rarer – and have been the source of secrecy in the industry.

Swallow caves are kept under lock and key by the harvesters who own rights to their caves, and rightly so; poachers are on the prowl at these natural-occurring habitats.

These nests also grow on the sides of cliffs; removing them can be a dangerous proposition.

Over the past few years, intense harvesting in countries like Malaysia have greatly reduced swallow populations.

Company Edible Nests: Responsibly Sourced

Some companies will cut corners in Bird’s Nest Soup production because they can demand such a high price for their nests. This leads them to use harmful chemicals to die white nests red.

Company has always prided itself in sourcing its nests from cruelty-free swallow houses, where workers take the utmost care in harvesting nests. Our nests are cleaned by hand with the utmost concern for hygiene and safety.

We are also one of the few vendors in the United States authorized to sell wild bird’s nest soup.