Honey in History
Man has been aware of the value of honey for many centuries. A painting found on rock in Spain, thought to be thousands of years old, shows men taking honeycomb from a hole in a cliff.

The ancient Egyptians used honey in cooking and also for medicinal purposes and made sacrificial offerings of it to their gods. Honey has also been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs in a sealed container and found to be almost as good quality as the day it was made, thousands of years before.

Britain was once called the Isle of Honey and it was used widely in cooking before the advent of white sugar. The most popular use for honey was in the preparation of alcoholic drinks, such as mead. It was made from the honey which remained in the combs after extraction by crushing and draining. The pieces of comb were then washed and the honey used to brew mead.

Honey Today
The leading honey-producing countries are the USA, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Mexico and China. The uses of honey are as diverse as its places of origin. Today, it is used industrially in ice-cream manufacture, in anti-freeze for car radiators, as a spray adherent and in chewing gum.

Honey produced in Britain today originates from a great variety of floral sources, most importantly clover and heather. Gooseberry, plum, pear, apple, cherry, willow, holly, crab apple and maple are frequently basic sources of nectar. Since almost every honey is a blend of many floral nectars, the honey must contain at least 51% of the nectar of a particular flower in order to be labeled as honey of specific origin.

Varieties of Honey
Blended honey is honey obtained from differing botanical and geographical sources mixed together commercially. This not only improves flavor, quality and even shelf life (where it alters the water content). Clover, at one time was the major variety of honey produced ever. However, the gradual loss of permanent pastureland has led to a decline in production. It is pale straw in color and has a delightful aroma. However, honey is known to granulate quickly.

Acacia, pale yellow and has a mild flavor. It has a high fructose content and it is for this reason that honey remains in the liquid form almost indefinitely. The origin for honey of this sort ranges from Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia and China. The Australian honey is excellent in terms of quality and is produced under the most strict standards of hygiene. The Chinese on the other hand has almost a fifth of the honey imported into Britain. There are many varieties, but the packaging can be below the standards for import as compared to other sources.

Storing Honey
Store in a covered container in a dry place at room temperature, it remains best in this condition. If exposed to the atmospheric conditions, honey tends to lose its flavor and absorbs moisture. Its best to keep honey in dark areas in amber colored bottles for added benefits. Most honey crystallizes even if kept at a really cool temperature. However, this does not really affect the quality of the honey, but its best if you keep it in the normal temperature. In fact crystallization occurs more readily in honey that’s pure and of a good quality.

Its also possible that you might find tiny air bubbles forming a white layer will form on top of crystallized honey on the surface. Of curse for honey lovers, they would definitely understand that this would not mean that the honey is spoilt, as pure, natural raw honey never gets spoilt and crystallization can easily be remedied by placing the container in warm water until the crystals disappear.