shark's fin, bird's nest, sea cucumber and abalone are collectively called the four great delicacies in China.

bird's nest-the correct translation is SWIFLETS NEST, which has always been regarded as a tonic. It is a bird's nest, which grows in the sea areas of Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand and likes to live in caves on the cliffs of Hainan. It is called "Jin Siyan", a bird's nest made of moss, seaweed and soft plants by mixing their feathers and saliva as a hiding place. People take this kind of bird's nest down, and after refining and selecting it, it becomes a valuable bird's nest.

"Jin Siyan" nests three times a year, and the first nest is thick and white. Because Jin Siyan has a long winter and has a long time to recuperate, it has stored enough nutrients in its body, and the saliva quality is excellent, so the nest built is better and thicker, and the shape is particularly good, so it is called Yanzhan, which is the best in bird's nest. In June, Jin Siyan built a nest again. Due to the short distance, his physique could not be fully recovered, so the quality of the nest was poor, and it was thin and hairy, which was obviously slightly worse than the first time. In September, Jin Siyan made a nest for the third time. It was said that because Jin Siyan was approaching the production period, and time was pressing, the physical strength and saliva could not be fully supplemented, and the young swallows needed to be fed urgently. Therefore, the third nest was definitely worse than the previous two times. Therefore, it was not credible to choose more feathers and impurities to build liquid, and even the blood was spit out to become blood swallows. There is a kind of "blood swallow" in the bird's nest. Many people mistakenly think that it is called "blood swallow" because the swallow lacks saliva and even spits out blood to build a nest. In fact, the blood swallow was built by a kind of "Jin Siyan with brown tail". This swallow may drink different water quality, or its saliva may be red due to factors such as minerals, so it built a "blood swallow" nest.

Blood swallows are mainly produced in Luolanyan Mountain, Kangshi Mountain, Songkhla Mountain and other places in Thailand, which is not caused by the blood vomited by swallows as legend has it. According to the data, the quality of blood swallows is actually better than that of Bai Yan, and the aroma and ingredients obtained by soaking are not as good as those of white bird's nest. Blood swallows are only precious in recent years.

Another one is called "Bai Yan", which is mostly produced in Indonesia, and another one is called "Maoyan", which is mostly produced in Brunei and Borneo. This kind of Maoyan is thin, dark and full of feathers and impurities. It is mainly built by a kind of "Jin Siyan with gray waist", and others with too many impurities and feathers are collectively called Maoyan.

According to the analysis of senior Dr. Jiang Runxiang, bird's nest can promote cell division (not cancer cell division), stimulate lymph gland cells, promote kidney development, have immune and antibacterial effects, and maintain youthful vitality. Bird's nest has the same effect regardless of its origin and grade. Bird's nest is best stewed with peeled old chicken. Bird's nest also has "domestic swallow" and "house swallow", which are made by living in ancient big houses and nesting. Bird's nest was only used as medicine in the Yuan Dynasty, and it can keep young through the skin. Bird's nest is rich in nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, ash, phosphorus, calcium, iron and potassium, and it is the best for nourishing people.

shark fin is the filamentary cartilage in shark fin. Sharks are cartilaginous fish, and their fin bones are shaped like vermicelli, but they are more brittle to bite and taste better than vermicelli. From the point of view of modern nutrition, shark's fin (cartilage) does not contain any nutrients that human body is easy to lack or has high value, so eating shark's fin is a unique cultural phenomenon in China. Because China is located in a temperate zone with cold winters, frequent droughts and floods, and the inland areas are far away from the ocean, the food preservation technology is very developed, and the drying and water development technology is one of the most important methods. Dried shrimp, sea cucumber, abalone, shark's fin, bird's nest, squid, mushroom, magnolia slice, yellow flower and fungus are all examples of this method. There will be physical and chemical changes in the process of drying water. The texture and taste of food are sometimes better than fresh food, and some harmful substances can be removed. Among them, the processing and cooking technology of shark fin is very complicated and professional, and it is almost impossible for amateurs to get their hands on it. This not only provides a reason for the high price of shark fin soup, but also establishes the position that eating shark fin can be called a strange bar of Chinese culture. If these technologies are lost because they don't eat shark fins, it will undoubtedly be an inestimable loss for Chinese civilization.

Shark's fin is one of the eight treasures of seafood. Together with bird's nest, sea cucumber and abalone, it is called the four "delicacies" in China. It is made from the fins of the shark's chest, abdomen, tail and so on, and it is not only a famous "delicious food", but also said to have many therapeutic values. China traditionally believes that eating shark's fin can benefit qi, clear the mind, remove phlegm, induce diuresis, stimulate appetite, moisten skin and maintain beauty. It can tonify five internal organs, strengthen waist, relieve liver depression, activate qi and blood, and moisten skin texture.

sea cucumber belongs to echinoderma, which belongs to the class Holothuria. It is an echinoderm that grows on the rocks at the bottom of the ocean or among seaweeds, also known as sea cucumber and sand melon. There are many kinds, about 11 in the world, and more than 1 in China. There are more than 2 kinds of edible varieties, such as Meihua Ginseng, Stichopus japonicus, Wushen Ginseng, Guangshen Ginseng, Guashen Ginseng and Yuzu Ginseng. The varieties of sea cucumbers vary from place to place. The Xisha Islands and Hainan Island in China are rich in plum-blossom ginseng and Wuyuan ginseng. Fujian and Zhejiang produce soap ginseng and light ginseng, while the northern seafood only has sea cucumber, which is a more precious variety of edible sea cucumber.

characteristics

characteristics of Stichopus japonicus: also known as Sarcophaga, Stichopus japonicus. Body length is 2-4 cm. The body is cylindrical, and the back is raised. The body shape, size, color and the number of barbs vary with the living environment. Individuals living at the bottom of rocks and in the sea area with low water temperature have more and larger barbs, thicker body walls and yellow-brown or dark brown body color. Habitat in water depth of 3-15m. The activity ability is weak, and the bait is organic matter and tiny animals and plants in the sediment. Such as diatoms, protozoa, gastropods and Ulva. Not resistant to high temperature, dormant in summer, active in winter, and spawning period varies with water temperature. Generally, from mid-May to early July, the spawning water temperature is 18-2℃. It takes more than 2 days for fertilized eggs to develop into juvenile ginseng. When the water temperature exceeds 2℃, they begin to sleep in summer, move to the dark place of deep rocks, and stop eating and moving. The regeneration ability of Stichopus japonicus is very strong. < P > Stichopus japonicus, a family of Stichopus japonicus, is a larger individual among sea cucumbers. The back is full of flesh spines, and the ventral tubes are numerous and crowded. The back is orange-yellow or orange-red, with yellow and brown spots scattered. 2 tentacles, yellow. Small fish are often born in the cloaca of the coral reef sand bottom of a few seaweed living 3-1 meters. I was born in the South China Sea. It is big and thick, and it is used for food and medicine. Its efficacy is the same as that of Stichopus japonicus, and its nutritional value is second only to Stichopus japonicus.

nutritional value:

sea cucumber is a rare and delicious seafood, warm in nature, sweet and slightly salty in taste, and has the functions of invigorating kidney and essence, promoting granulation and stopping bleeding. Ranked among the eight sea treasures. The meat color is green and moist, the texture is tender, and it contains many minerals and vitamins necessary for advanced protein and human body. Long ago, it was regarded as a nourishing treasure by people. Every 1 grams of dried product contains 76.5 grams of protein, 1.1 grams of fat, 13.2 grams of sugar and 4.2 grams of beneficial minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron and iodine. Sea cucumber is the only animal food without cholesterol. In addition, sea cucumber also has high medicinal value. According to the medical records, sea cucumber has the functions of tonifying kidney and replenishing essence, and has certain curative effect on treating pulmonary tuberculosis, hemoptysis, aplastic anemia and diabetes. Sea cucumber contains an acidic mucopolysaccharide, which can inhibit the growth and metastasis of malignant tumors, so it is favored by people.

abalone, which has nothing to do with fish, is related to river snails and the like. It is a single-shell mollusk in the ocean, with only half a shell. The shell is thick, flat and wide, and its shape is somewhat like a human ear, so it is also called "sea ear". Only traces are left in the spiral part, which accounts for a very small part of the whole shell. There are nine holes in the edge of the shell, from which seawater flows in and out, and even abalone depends on it for breathing, excretion and fertility. So it is also called "9-hole snail". The surface of the shell is rough, with dark brown patches, and the inner surface presents the pearl luster of blue, green, red and blue. Fresh abalone is shelled and salted for a period of time, then cooked, viscera removed and dried in the sun. It is delicious and nutritious. "abalone, ginseng, wings and belly" are all precious seafood, and abalone ranks first among sea cucumber, shark's fin and fish belly. Abalone shell is a famous Chinese herbal medicine-Haliotis Haliotidis, which is also called Senecio Senecio in ancient books. It has a famous purpose and efficacy, hence its name. Concha Haliotidis also has the effects of clearing away heat, calming the liver and calming the wind, and can be used to treat hand and foot spasms and convulsions caused by dizziness and fever. There are about 9 species of abalone in the world, and their footprints are all over the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean. The abalone produced in Bohai Bay of China is called Haliotis discus hannai, which is relatively large. The abalone produced in the southeast coast is called Haliotis diversicolor, and the individual is small; Haliotis diversicolor and Haliotis diversicolor produced in Xisha Islands are famous edible abalone. Because the natural output is very small, it is expensive. Nowadays, all the countries producing abalone in the world are developing artificial breeding. In the 197s, China cultivated variegated abalone seedlings, and artificial breeding was successful.

abalone, known as the "crown of seafood", has been one of the "eight treasures" of seafood since ancient times. Abalone is called fish, but it is not a fish. It is a single-shell marine shellfish belonging to Gastropoda and abalone. Because it is shaped like a human ear, it is also called "sea ear". There are many coastal islands in Dalian, Liaoning Province, with many reefs, mild climate and rich bait, which is very suitable for abalone habitat and reproduction. The abalone produced here accounts for 7% of the national output.