Cooking: Honey can act as a sweetener, flavoring, humectant (adds and retains moisture) and emulsifier (binds and thickens).
Salve: Ancient cultures used honey to ward off infections. We still use it to soothe coughsand sore throats.
Skin Care: Honey can clean and moisturize, making it a perfect ingredient for lotions, soaps and cleansers.
The Buzz
Some say the word "honeymoon" comes from an old tradition of giving brides and grooms a month’s supply of mead in hopes that the new couple produced a child within a year.
Honey is the main ingredient in mead, aka honey wine.
Because alcohol affects bees and humans in similar ways, researchers are studying drunk beesto learn how chronic alcohol abuse affects humans at a molecular level.
Sundry Honeys
Monofloral honey comes from one type of flower, like clover, blueberry or sage. The flowers from which bees gather nectar affect honey's:
Texture
Taste
Aroma
Color
Beware the Honey Badger
While it’s true they raid beehives for an occasional sweet snack, honey badgers are primarily carnivorousand are ferocious enough to overpower and eat venomous snakes. They just don’t care.
Sweet Beginnings
The earliest record of honey collecting is an 8,000-year-old cave painting in Spain’s Arana Caves.
Honey remained the sweetener of choice in Europe until the 12th century, when sugar was introduced.
The ancient Greeks believed bees bridged the gap between our world and the underworld.
Ancient Romans honored Mellona, goddess of bees and honey. Ancient Egyptians used honey to embalm their dead. They also packed pots of honey in tombs for people to carry into the afterlife.
Honey Keeping
Honey is extremely acidic—which means bacteria and organisms that typically cause food to spoil won’t grow in it.
Keep it sealed and honey can last for millenia. Expose it to humidity and it will spoil.
