Bee Honey: History Of This Natural Sweetener As Food, As Medicine & In Culture
Reading Time: 3 minutes, 29 seconds Post Views: 2052Honey has been holding a key place in food & medicinal products for long. This organic and natural sweetener is widely adopted in cooking processes and used in a number of food products like baked goods, marinades, beverages, and more.
The reference to honey has been dated long back in 5500 BCE and has been the most reliable natural sweetener for man. Honey bees though are far older than mentioned in the records and were making honey perhaps millions of years before that. Until cane sugar came into existence in Southeast Asia, honey was the major sweetening agent used as a natural sweetener in teas, cakes, jellies, candies, etc.
Varieties of Honey –
There are over 300 varieties of honey available all around the world. This distinction in varieties is due to the flower from which the nectar is collected by honey bees. The color, flavor & aroma of the honey varieties differ from flower to flower. Some popular & loved varieties of honey are –
· Buckwheat honey
· Linden honey
· Acacia honey
· Wildflower honey
· Oak honey
· White honey
· Black Forest honey and many more.
What to Look for Buying Best Quality Honey –
Most of the honey available today is ultra-filtered to make it look more appealing. It has become somewhat problematic to find unadulterated honey today. The best way to shop for sustainable, pesticide-free honey is to choose a local & genuine producer of honey. There are many different honey preparations done before putting out the actual product in the market.
· Pasteurized honey – This type of honey is the most commonly available honey preparation & is generally presented by removing dust & pollens.
· Raw honey – This unfiltered & unpasteurized honey offers wonderful health benefits and is light yellow in color. Being cloudy in appearance, it is the most common type of liquid honey.
· Comb honey – This is the leftover honey in the honeycomb. The comb is chewed to squeeze the honey & wax is spitted out.
· Creamed honey – This type of granulated honey preparation is more spreadable than the normal liquid honey.
The Longevity of Honey –
Honey bees are indispensably significant as pollinators for some products of the soil — here is an extensive rundown of food crops that are pollinated by honey bees — thus any inescapable issues with honey bees may straightforwardly influence our food supply. There are various environmental issues affecting honey bees and nectar creation. First is state breakdown problem (CCD), a staggering honey bee infection.
Large honey bee makers use antibiotic medication to control sickness, and shockingly, anti-microbial opposition has been found in honey bees. Further, in large scale honey production, minimal honey is left for the honey bees to devour in the colder time of year. All things considered, they are taken care of sugar or high fructose corn syrup rehearses that may likewise add to the decrease in honey bee states.
At last, an unnatural weather change may significantly affect honey bees and different pollinators, basically "uncoupling" the unpredictable and minimal comprehended connection among honey bees and the blossoms that they have developed to fertilize.
Honey Storage –
It is usually stored in a cool & darker place and in original plastic or glass jars to prevent crystallization. This is particularly one food that does not spoil the composition.
Honey has been used in a variety of ways as a natural organic sugar with no additives that can be easily consumed on empty stomach. If stored correctly, honey has almost an indefinite shelf life. If these wonderful little creatures would disappear from the planet there would be a serious food shortage. To reverse the impact of the declining honey bee population, Geohoney is dedicated to following several practices that can save the life of bees & our nature too!
I always use honey to make delicious desserts.