Food stories: honey

Among nature’s treasures there is a food that we can call extraordinary: honey. It is produced by little bees and the first known is from 10.000 years ago.

This tasty nectar is a natural preservative, a not refined sweetener and an ingredient for many recipes, it exists in many varieties that depend from the flowers on which the bees have drawn upon to produce it.

In Ancient Egypt the production of honey was so important that the beekeepers used to move with the hives along the Nile river to follow the flowering of plants and hermetically sealed containers with perfectly preserved honey (even after 4000 years) were found in Pharaohs’ tombs.

Honey has a high nutritional and energetic power that makes it a great ally for anyone who needs energy, like sportsmen, and in winter it’s a remedy to relieve cold and sore throat symptoms thanks to its antibacterial and antibiotic properties.

And then… It’s simply delicious! A perfect ingredient for many recipes, not only the sweet ones like the medovníky, typical Slovak cookies, or the crumpets, but also for main dishes like risotto with chestnut honey or honey prawns. In Poland they even drink it!

Bees have a crucial role in nature as pollinators and besides honey they also produce:

• Royal Jelly: packed with energy, it helps to treat tiredness and to maintain strength and health;
• Propolis: a natural antibiotic to treat cold, sore throat and small wounds;
• Pollen: rich with proteins, vitamins, amino acids and mineral salts;
• Wax: used to make candles and natural cosmeti

In conclusion, it goes without saying that bees are precious animals that we must protect.