also: いぇんうお
noun
edible bird's nest; swiftlet nest
Refers specifically to the nest of swiftlets, used as the main ingredient in bird's nest soup. Often written in kana.
See also: ツバメの巣
燕窩は高級中華料理の材料として知られている。
Edible bird's nest is known as an ingredient in high-class Chinese cuisine.
このスープにはえんかが使われている。
This soup contains edible bird's nest.
Literally 'swallow's nest'; can refer to any swallow's nest, while 燕窩 specifically denotes the edible nest of swiftlets used in cooking.
From Chinese 燕窩 (yànwō), literally 'swallow nest'. The Japanese reading えんか is the on'yomi of the characters, while イェンウオ is a direct borrowing of the Chinese pronunciation.