No one seems to know exactly how old honey is; Spanish cave paintings dating back to 7000 BCE show scenes of two women collecting honey from the wild, but it’s hard to say at what point in history one person decided to brave a hive of stinging bees to figure out what exactly they were up to in there. Needless to say (and with a whole lot of pun intended), their discovery was pretty sweet.
Honey played a significant role in most early civilizations. Aside from using honey in their own cooking, Ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans also used it as part of their offerings to the gods. As a result, honey appears frequently within each culture’s mythology, as well as in the texts and traditions of most of the today’s major religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.

It’s easy to see why so many cultures throughout history were so taken with honey (and the reasons weren’t purely limited to its sweet taste). Records show that honey was used for a variety of medicinal purposes including but not limited to the treatment of sores, ulcers and stomach ailments, as well as for diuretic purposes. Modern understanding of the health benefits of honey support some of these early theories. All types of honey contain hydrogen peroxide, which is particularly helpful in antibacterial healing. Also, honey has been shown to promote digestive health. Honey also soothes sore throats, calms coughs, aids memory and provides a natural boost of energy – we like to add it to our Lemon and Cayenne Tea when we’re battling a cold. Honey has also proved useful in beauty routines as a natural cleanser.

Honey gets its flavor and coloring from the types of plants from which bees gather their nectar. Most commercial honey is blended, in that it contains honey from a variety of plant sources. If you’re looking to explore the flavor profiles beyond the typical blended honey, you’ve got a lot to choose from – over 300 varieties exist within the US alone. There are some that are more common than others, including Clover, which tends to have a fairly mild taste, Orange Blossom, which is fairly light and contains a fresh, citrus taste and Eucalyptus, which has varying degrees of strength and color but tends to have a stronger flavor with traces of menthol. Also common is New Zealand’s Manuka honey, which is not only darker in color but also contains higher levels of hydrogen peroxide which leads to its frequent use as a homeopathic health remedy.

Honey can last you a long time – over two years if stored correctly, which means keeping it covered, cool and in a dark, dry place to prevent fermentation. And with so many uses, honey always seems to come in handy. Aside from adding sweetness to teas and beverages, honey also provides an excellent and healthy alternative to using sugar when making desserts, such as our Opulent White Chocolate and Yogurt Cake or Halloumi Bundles of Love. If you’re in need of a little at-home spa treatment, a Citrus and Honey Face Mask does wonders for both cleansing and softening the skin.