Seven Facts About Raw Honey You Probably Didn’t Know

The demand for honey is on the rise. Today, nearly 525 million pounds of honey are used across the globe in a variety of different industries, and that growth has come with an increased interest in this unique food and how it’s produced. What do you already know about honey, raw honey, and the global scale of production today? Test your knowledge now. 

Facts About Raw Honey, Honey Production, and Commercial Honey You May Not Know

Fact #1 – Raw Honey and Store-Bought Honey May Not Be the Same Thing

When many people think about honey, they think about a clear, amber liquid packaged in a tiny bear on a grocery store shelf. The reality, though, is that raw honey and store-bought honey are two very different things. Grocery store honey, sometimes called commercial honey, is harvested much the same way raw honey is, but it is typically pasteurized and rapidly cooled before it is bottled. 

That means it’s easier to handle and package, but it also looks clean and smooth once it reaches the grocery store. Raw honey, on the other hand, is gathered directly from beehives, then placed in jars for consumers to purchase. It’s only lightly filtered, and it’s never pasteurized, as that can lead to damage of the delicate enzymes, vitamins, and minerals inside. 

Fact #2 – Raw Honey Never Spoils

As long as it is kept in an airtight environment, honey never spoils. It has an endless shelf life. In fact, unspoiled honey was even found in the tombs of the ancient Egyptians! The reason for this unique property is the fact that it contains very low levels of moisture as well as high levels of natural acids, so bacteria can’t grow in it and cause it to spoil. Stored properly, raw honey is literally good forever. 

Fact #3 – Honey Has a Number of Health Benefits

Even in the earliest societies, honey was used as medicine. It has antibacterial properties, so wounds were often coated in honey and wrapped to help speed healing. Even today, specially cultivated medicinal honey is used for this practice. It can be used as so much more than topical treatment, though. It’s been shown to help those who suffer from seasonal allergies because it allows people to build up immunity to local plants. 

It can also soothe sore throats and end a cough. It’s even been found to relieve nausea in some cases. More and more studies are being done to uncover the true health power of honey. 

Fact #4 – The Color and Flavor of Honey Varies By What Flowers Bees Visit

Not all raw honey looks the same. Honey actually gains its color from the pollen the bees in a given hive gather to make it. Different plants blossom at different times of the year, and different plants blossom across the country. 

What that means is that any given hive can produce a variety of different honey colors from season to season and from place to place. Lighter honey tends to be much milder in flavor while darker honey tends to be fairly heavy and rich. 

Fact #5 – Granulated Honey Is Still Good Honey

If you’ve ever seen honey get grainy, you’ve seen granulation. What many people don’t know, though, is that granulated honey really is still good. What happens is that the sugar in the honey crystallized over time. 

That crystallization is a natural process, and while commercial honey produces heat in their products to prevent crystallization, that’s completely unnecessary. Instead, granulated honey makes a delicious spread, and if you need to eliminate the granules before you cook with it, you can simply heat a bit of it up to get rid of them. 

Fact #6 – Honey Was Once Used As Currency

Honey is a powerful food, but it was once even more powerful than you’d imagined. In 11th century Germany, peasants used honey to pay landowners the rent they demanded. Landowners loved the honey as it was used to sweeten beer at the time. 

Fact #7 – Raw Honey Is More Popular Than Ever

The popularity of raw honey has skyrocketed over the past several years. These days, there are hundreds of different local producers offering raw honey products, and consumers are buying for a variety of different reasons. 

From the desire to experience a better tasting product to a chance at obtaining some of the many different health benefits raw honey has the ability to provide, individuals, chefs, and many others are looking into the power of raw honey at a faster rate than ever before. 

The facts about raw honey may be numerous, but one thing is clear – demand is on the rise because it’s an amazing option to meet a variety of needs in your own kitchen. Explore just how powerful raw honey can be today.