Chinese Medicine/Food Identification
January 9, 2016 8:22 AM   Subscribe

What is the stuff in the middle right of this picture, looking kind of like pork rinds?

You are not my apothacaryist.

When we were in Hong Kong and Taipei, I saw something for sale in medicine stores all over the place. In this picture, it's in the middle on the right side, looking kind of like pork rinds. In this one, it's in the round packages near the middle top of the photo.

Sometimes it was in super-fancy packaging, sometimes it wasn't. In one store in HK near our hotel there were neatly arranged jars in the window, with one each, very stylish and modern looking. By the end of the trip, I was curious, but embarrassed to ask. I never got clear enough pictures for google translate.

Also, if you find it using google somehow, please tell me what you looked for, because I couldn't figure out how to get closer than very generic pictures (like the ones above).
posted by Gorgik to Society & Culture (4 answers total)
 
Best answer: I think they're bird nests! Compare these google image search results.
posted by moonmilk at 8:35 AM on January 9, 2016 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Yup, seconding bird's nests.
posted by neroli at 8:43 AM on January 9, 2016


Response by poster: That's gotta be it, some of the packaging photos elsewhere look the same, too. Thanks!
posted by Gorgik at 8:57 AM on January 9, 2016


The reason they look so different to what people think of as nest is that the swiftlets the nest come from actually use spit that solidifies to make the nests. They basically disolve into soups etc to add a thicker texture to it.
posted by wwax at 9:23 AM on January 9, 2016


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