Honey World

Honey is one of the mysterious foods that have tickled the imagination of tech savvy people in this age. It is difficult for them to fathom how hordes of nondescript insects can produce such an amazing product. This wonder food is fascinating for more reasons than one, and scientists are trying to find out more uses of honey than those known so far.

Ancient civilizations also recognized honey as a truly marvelous food with many excellent qualities. At one point in time during the Roman Empire the Romans paid honey as taxes. This reflects the importance of this wonder food in their lives, even if it was not for the entire thousand years of their rule.

However, human civilization and honey existed much before the Roman Empire. Archeologists have found paintings dating back over 9,000 years in caves that have honey depicted in them. Human beings cherished honey since it was the only means of sweetening the food until refined sugar and molasses were discovered.

You can choose from nearly 300 different varieties of honey. It is also available in a wide assortment of colors and flavors. By the color and taste of honey you can know what flowers the bees collected the nectar from to make the honey.

Chemically speaking, honey is essentially naturally refined sugar. Although there is some variance, honey is basically: 38 percent fructose, 31 percent glucose, 1 percent sucrose, and 9 percent other sugars. The remainder is made up of vitamins, minerals, water, and various amino acids. It is in these vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that have scientists most interested in the possible medical benefits of honey.

What’s absolutely fascinating about honey is that it does not rot. People have found honey with mummies, which was still perfectly safe to eat. Honey does not spoil because it has bioactive agents that keep germs and bacteria away. No wonder, honey has been used as a topical treatment for burns and other wounds. It prevents the injury from becoming infected. However, honey should be stored in a cool dark place to retain its bacteria-repelling properties because if it is exposed to light and heat the bioactive agents will begin to disintegrate.

Honey is available in different varieties but the kind that we are most familiar with is liquid honey. This is the type we use on pancakes and in tea and it is removed from the comb using a centrifuge, straining, or just simple gravity. A person may get it "filtered" so that all of the impurities and air bubbles have been removed or they may have it "strained" where most of the impurities have been removed but some of the smaller particles and air bubbles remain.

Honey remains the only naturally refined sugar available and it has been part of human history since before recorded time. Able to repel bacteria and still be edible after centuries of being buried with mummies, honey truly is a remarkable food. The benefits and secrets of honey are still being revealed by scientists today and there may still be some medical miracles waiting to be discovered in honey that could really benefit all of humanity. Even if not, honey is still one of the sweetest substances on earth that is just a treat to eat.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

Gillian Stell is the chief editor for F honey, a fantastic resource for information about honey. For more articles on honey why not visit: www.flahoney.com/articles
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