You probably have watched them in one of the episode of a late night documentary show. Men, without any harness or protective implements, climbing steep caves gathering bird’s nests. It is probably one of the most risky jobs in the world. Using only makeshift scaffolding made from bamboo and clinging from vine to vine, they endanger their lives as they collect these edible nests.

This is a common job among the native Tagbanuas of Northern Palawan in the Philippines. They collect this nest and sell it to middlemen who would, in turn, trade it to Chinese restaurants in Manila.

Yes, it is edible. The nest is that of a swiftlet, that builds it with white cement from its salivary gland. This cement is the one use in Chinese cuisine to make the Edible Nest Soup or Nido Soup. The Weirdfood.com listed it as one of the “weirdest food” on earth.

I don’t know how much these Bird’s Nest Gatherers get from a kilo of the edible nest. I hope they are compensated fairly, considering that the soup is really expensive. I have tasted one. It’s good, but overrated. Knorr, the maker of spices and instant Chinese soups, did a good job with its Nido Soup imitation.