Anise honey color and taste. Methods for determining the quality of honey

It is easy to distinguish between the types of flower honey - they are named after the plant from which it is collected. The most common varieties in our strip are: flower, linden, buckwheat, acacia, clover and alfalfa. Alfalfa honey, for example, has a mild flavor and aroma; has a light golden color; can be quite watery. Clover honey and even lighter - in the light it may seem almost colorless; clover honey has an unobtrusive interesting aroma and taste. Clover honey is collected mainly from white clover.

Linden honey is legendary. It is recognized as one of the best varieties in the world because of a whole bunch of its merits. Firstly, it has an unforgettable taste and aroma, which, by the way, will change somewhat depending on the linden variety and its place of growth. Secondly, the healing qualities of linden honey cannot be listed right away - it is also the first remedy for various colds, wound healing, strengthening and anti-inflammatory agent. The color of linden honey is not only white, but also golden, sometimes with a green tint. When it crystallizes, it becomes creamy.

Another legend is acacia honey. Like lime, it is very widely popular because of its taste, and is also used everywhere in traditional medicine. It is considered very useful for children, used to treat diseases of the genitourinary system. With anemia, it is recommended to use buckwheat honey. It has a reddish tint ranging from golden red to brown. Above most varieties of honey puts it an abundance of vitamins.

In general, flower honey can also be divided into meadow and forest honey. Meadow honey is lighter, its spectrum of aromas differs from forest honey. Meadow honey is honey of the first grade (lower grades are produced using a different technology); has a golden color, its main components are: thyme, clover, thyme, sage, alfalfa and other herbs. Forest honey is mainly produced from nectar collected by bees from shrubs, including: blackberry, hawthorn, mountain ash. Forest honey also contains herbs and trees. The range of colors of forest honey is great: from almost transparent golden to deep dark brown.

Often in flower honey there is some percentage of honeydew, that is, one that is obtained from the processed nectar of other insects (honeydew). Honeydew honey is mixed with forest varieties and helps to create a special flavor. By the way, some types of forest honey can be dangerous for humans. They are also called drunken honey or poisonous honey, in appearance they differ little from ordinary honey. Such a substance causes a semblance of food poisoning, but does not cause serious harm to the body. According to the final result, honey can be divided into filtered, unfiltered, honeycomb and artificial. Comb honey is especially time-consuming, because the cells need to be fixed so that they do not break during transportation. The so-called artificial honey is a product of bees, when they are specially fed with sugar or honey from the previous harvest. Its value characteristics are much less than that of regular filtered honey.

Varieties and varieties of honey

acacia(white acacia) honey is considered one of the best varieties. In liquid form it is transparent, during crystallization (saccharification) it becomes white, fine-grained, resembling snow. Bees also collect nectar from yellow locust flowers. This honey is very light, but upon crystallization it becomes greasy, white in color, medium grain. Yellow acacia honey is also among the best varieties.

barberry honey golden yellow in color, fragrant and delicate in taste. Bees vigorously process the nectar of flowers of the common barberry berry bush, which grows in the European part of Russia, in the Crimea and is widely cultivated as a valuable hemostatic agent.

Budyakovy honey belongs to the first class. It is colorless, greenish, golden (light amber), has a pleasant aroma and taste. During crystallization, it becomes fine-grained. Bees vigorously collect it from beautiful raspberry flowers of a weed with prickly stems and grayish leaves - Budyak, drooping thistle.

Borage honey obtained from the nectar of large beautiful blue flowers of borage - borage. Borage is grown as a valuable honey plant and medicinal plant. Honey has a pleasant taste, transparent, light.

Cornflower honey- greenish-yellow in color, has a pleasant aroma reminiscent of almonds and a peculiar, slightly bitter aftertaste. Cornflower blue, or field, is a good honey plant.

heather honey obtained from the nectar of small pink flowers of a branchy evergreen shrub common heather, common in the western and northern steppe regions of Ukraine, in the western and northwestern regions of Russia, in Belarus. Heather honey is dark, dark yellow and red-brown in color with a weak aroma, pleasant or tart bitter taste. Refers to low grades of honey. It has the ability to thicken into a gelatinous jelly with lots of air bubbles that can rise to the surface. With stirring or shaking, the gelatinous structure of heather honey is destroyed, and it again becomes liquid, but later thickens again. This property is called thixotropy. Buckwheat honey also has some thixotropic properties. After removal of protein substances from heather honey, thixotropic properties are lost.

mustard honey- a product collected from large yellow flowers of white mustard growing in Ukraine, Belarus, in the European part of Russia. In the liquid state, it has a pleasant golden yellow color, and later acquires a yellow-cream hue. Crystallizes in small crystals. It has a pleasant aroma, sweet taste. It has high nutritional and medicinal properties, due to which it is recommended for respiratory diseases.

Pea honey collected from the flowers of thin-leaved peas, growing in the steppes of Siberia.

Buckwheat honey they are produced everywhere, but mainly in the central and southern regions of Russia, in Ukraine. The color of honey is from dark yellow and reddish to dark brown; it has a sharp peculiar taste and pleasant aroma. It crystallizes into a homogeneous, most often coarse-grained mass of dark yellow color. Some tasters note that when eating buckwheat honey, it "tickles the throat."
In most cases, buckwheat honey is rated as high-grade and medicinal. It contains more protein and iron than other botanical honeys. In this regard, such honey is recommended to be taken in the treatment of anemia. People say: "Dark honey is very useful for pale faces."

angelica honey bees collect from the flowers of angelica, widespread in Russia, Crimea, Belarus, Ukraine.

sweet clover honey- very light, white or light amber. It has a delicate pleasant taste and aroma reminiscent of vanilla. Rated as one of the best varieties. Bees collect it from the bright yellow flowers of the sweet clover or yellow. It crystallizes quickly. Due to its high nutritional and medicinal qualities, it is very popular. Recommended for respiratory diseases, colds, headaches, insomnia. In the US sweet clover honey is rated as one of the best varieties; it makes up 50-70% of the total amount of all honey coming on the market.

blackberry honey bees gather from the flowers of widespread blackberry bushes. It is transparent like water and has high taste and medicinal qualities and a delicate aroma.

snakehead honey- light, transparent, with pleasant aroma and taste. Bees prepare it from the nectar of the blue-violet flowers of the Moldavian snakehead, which grows in the Caucasus, Altai, and Ukraine. The snakehead belongs to very valuable melliferous plants, as it contains a large amount of high-sugar nectar with a lemon smell.

willow honey- golden-yellow color, upon crystallization it becomes fine-grained, acquires a creamy hue, has high taste qualities. Bees vigorously collect it from the flowers of various species of willow trees and shrubs, of which there are about 170.

hyssop honey according to its organoleptic properties, it belongs to first-class samples. The nectar for this honey is collected from the dark blue flowers of the medicinal and melliferous semi-shrub hyssop.

stone honey- rare and unique. Wild bees collect it, laying it in the crevices of stone cliffs. This honey is fawn in color, with a pleasant aroma, good taste. Honeycomb contains little wax and is one crystallized substance that has to be broken off into pieces, like a lollipop, in order to be consumed. Unlike ordinary bee honey, rock honey is almost non-sticky and therefore does not require special containers. It is well preserved without changing its qualities for several years. Often also called Abkhazian honey.

chestnut honey has a dark color, has a weak aroma, unpleasant taste. To prepare this honey, bees collect nectar from the flowers of the chestnut tree, which grows mainly in the Crimea and Transcaucasia. Bees also produce honey from the nectar of the bell-shaped white and pink flowers of the ornamental horse chestnut tree. This honey, unlike the first, is transparent (colorless), liquid, but crystallizes easily and quickly, sometimes bitter. Chestnut honey belongs to the category of low-grade.

fireweed honey- transparent, with a greenish tint, becomes white during crystallization in the form of snow grains, and sometimes resembles a creamy or fine-grained mass. When heated, it turns yellow, has a very weak delicate aroma and does not have a distinct honey taste, so buyers often do not recognize its naturalness. This honey has to be blended more often than other varieties. Bees prepare honey from the nectar of beautiful lilac-red flowers of fireweed (willow-herb), which is found in the wild quite often.

clover honey- light, almost colorless, transparent, sometimes with a greenish tint, with a delicate aroma and a pleasant peculiar taste. Quickly crystallizes into a solid white crystalline mass. Refers to high-grade, first-class honey.

maple honey refers to light varieties of honey, has excellent taste. Bees vigorously collect it from the beautiful yellowish-green flowers of Norway maple, found in almost all forests of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus.

cranberry honey produced by bees from the nectar of cranberry flowers. It has a beautiful color, delicate taste, very fragrant, less sweet than other varieties of honey (probably due to high acidity). In the USA it is in great demand.

Lavender honey belongs to the first class. This golden-colored transparent honey, with a delicate aroma and pleasant taste, is produced by bees from the nectar of light blue or bluish-violet flowers of the perennial lavender essential oil plant. Lavender is cultivated on the southern coast of Crimea, in the Kuban and in the Caucasus. Lavender honey is top notch.

Linden honey is collected everywhere and is considered one of the best among the population. Thanks to its exceptionally pleasant taste, it is highly valued. A sharp taste is typical for Central Russian meads and, in particular, for the Ufa "lipets". Linden Far Eastern honey is very tender and fragrant. Freshly extracted from a honey extractor, this honey is very fragrant, usually transparent, slightly yellow or greenish in color. Ufa (Bashkir) linden honey, the so-called Lipets, is colorless, becomes white upon crystallization, with a golden hue and a coarse-grained mass. Amur (Far Eastern) linden honey of cloudy-yellowish color. All samples of linden honey have an excellent specific aroma and wonderful taste, despite the feeling of slight bitterness, which, however, quickly disappears. Honey crystallizes into a solid white mass, has a coarse-grained cage. Crystals of calcium oxalate were found in linden honey. It is believed that the content of these crystals is characteristic only for linden honey. Their detection can serve as an additional sign of the establishment of a variety of linden honey. Linden honey is produced by bees from the nectar of linden flowers, which has high honey qualities. Linden honey has valuable nutritional and medicinal properties. Its antibacterial action is manifested in relation to gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms, as well as in relation to ciliates, amoebas and Trichomonas. It contains volatile, non-volatile and slightly volatile antimicrobial substances, has expectorant, anti-inflammatory and. mild laxative effect. It is successfully used for diseases of the respiratory tract (tonsillitis, runny nose, laryngitis, bronchitis, bronchial asthma), as a means of strengthening the heart, inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, diseases of the kidneys and gallbladder. It has a good local effect on purulent wounds and burns. Sometimes linden honey has a light yellow or greenish-gray color, which comes from honeydew honey. (The fall on the linden is common.) In folk medicine, linden honey is widely used for colds, mainly as a diaphoretic.

Burdock honey has a sharp spicy smell, has a dark olive color, is very viscous. To obtain this honey, bees collect nectar from small dark pink flowers of felted burdock and large burdock. This nectar is of a beautiful yellowish color, sometimes it can have a greenish tint, and has a strong pleasant spicy smell. Honey collected from the flowers of burdock felt (cobweb) has an olive color, light, viscous, easily wrapped on a spoon.

Meadow honey (Forbs) has a golden yellow, sometimes yellow-brown color, pleasant aroma, good taste. Meadow ("prefabricated") honey bees produce from the nectar of various meadow flowers.

alfalfa honey bees collect from lilac or violet flowers of alfalfa. Freshly pumped honey has various shades - from completely transparent to golden amber; it quickly crystallizes, becoming white, and resembles thick cream in its consistency. The color depends on the water content: the lower the water content, the lighter the color of the honey. This honey has a pleasant aroma and specific taste. If honey is stored in a warm room, it can remain liquid for a year.

Raspberry honey belongs to the light varieties of honey of the highest quality, has a pleasant aroma and good taste. Comb honey from raspberries has a delicate taste and seems to melt in your mouth. This honey is made from the nectar of wild and garden raspberry flowers. Due to the fact that the raspberry flower is tilted down, the bee, extracting nectar, is, as it were, under a natural canopy or umbrella and can work even during rain.

Melissa honey has a transparent color, pleasant aroma and taste. Bees harvest it from the nectar of light purple or pink melissa flowers with a strong smell. Bees are very fond of the smell of lemon balm.

carrot honey has a dark yellow color, strong aroma. Bees produce it from the nectar of fragrant white flowers of umbrella-shaped inflorescences of a cultivated biennial plant - carrots.

mint honey bees produce from the nectar of fragrant flowers of a perennial essential oil and spicy peppermint plant, which produces abundant collections of high-quality honey. This honey has an amber color and a pleasant mint flavor. Mint honey is considered high quality in Western Europe. This honey contains a lot of vitamin C, has a choleretic, soothing, analgesic and antiseptic effect.

Dandelion honey has a golden yellow color, very thick, viscous, quickly crystallizing, with a strong odor and a sharp taste. This honey is obtained from the nectar of a well-known and widespread weed - dandelion.

Thistle honey is white, fragrant, tasty. This first-class honey is produced by bees from nectar collected from numerous golden-yellow flowers of the sow thistle weed.

sunflower honey has a golden color, weak aroma and tart taste. Crystallizes quickly. When crystallized, it becomes light amber, sometimes even with a greenish tint. This honey has valuable dietary and medicinal properties.

motherwort honey- very heavy, light yellow in color, with a specific, but unsharp taste. Bees collect nectar from the pale purple flowers of the motherwort honey plant.

Rapeseed honey has a color from white to intense yellow, weak aroma and sugary taste, thick, quickly crystallizes. It is poorly soluble in water and quickly turns sour during long-term storage. Bees prepare it from the nectar of rapeseed flowers.

Resed honey belongs to the category of high-grade, has a pleasant aroma, and can compete with linden in taste. Bees produce this honey from the nectar of flowers of the odorous mignonette, which is a good honey plant.

rowan honey has a red color, strong aroma and good taste. During crystallization, a coarse-grained mass is formed. Bees prepare honey from the nectar of rowan flowers.

Rape honey has a greenish-yellow color, has a slight aroma, but a pleasant taste. Not suitable for long term storage. It is produced from the nectar of golden-yellow colza flowers.

pumpkin honey has a golden yellow color, pleasant taste, crystallizes rather quickly. Bees harvest it from large golden pumpkin flowers.

tulip honey has a reddish color, has a pleasant aroma and good taste. Bees collect this honey from a greenish-reddish ornamental tulip tree. This tree is a good honey plant, as it contains the largest amount of nectar compared to other subtropical honey plants.

Phacelia honey has a light green or white color, has a delicate aroma and a pleasant delicate taste. Belongs to the best varieties. After crystallization, it resembles dough. It is prepared from the nectar of phacelia flowers, which is considered a good honey plant.

cotton honey- very light and only after crystallization becomes white, has a peculiar aroma and delicate taste. Honey collected from cotton leaves by bees is no different in taste from honey collected from large cotton flowers.

Cherry honey. In some regions of Ukraine and southern regions of Russia there are large areas of cherry plantations, which are also honey-bearing. From the nectar of cherry flowers, bees produce cherry honey. It has a characteristic lemon-sweet taste, white-yellow color, pleasant aroma. Well accepted by the body. Has antimicrobial properties.

blueberry honey has an exceptional aroma, pleasant taste and has a reddish color. Produced by bees from the nectar of blueberry flowers.

sage honey has a light amber or dark golden color, has a delicate pleasant aroma, good taste. Produced from sage flowers.

Eucalyptus honey- unpleasant in taste, but highly valued, as it is used in folk medicine for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. Bees produce this honey from the nectar of large single flowers with numerous stamens of the evergreen round eucalyptus tree, cultivated mainly in the subtropics.

Sainfoin honey belongs to valuable varieties. It is light amber in color, transparent as a crystal, has a pleasant delicate aroma and taste. It slowly crystallizes in very small crystals. When settled, it is a white solid mass with a creamy tint, resembling lard in appearance. Harvested by bees from the nectar of the plant sainfoin, or vikolistny, growing in the wild. In addition to nectar, bees take brown-yellow pollen from sainfoin. According to available data, during the flowering period of sainfoin, its pollen is dominant in any bee pollen.

apple honey has a light yellow color, very delicate aroma and taste, quickly crystallizes. Prepared from the nectar of apple blossoms.

We know from childhood that honey is a delicious and very healthy delicacy.

Today, the market provides us with a huge number of different types of honey.

Among them, unfortunately, there are also fakes.

To make a quality purchase and not harm your health, it is very important to know what honey is and what properties it has.

Differences between different types of honey

Bee honey is a sweet thick product produced by bees. Various characteristics make it possible to distinguish many types of honey.

The classification is made according to the following criteria:

• botanical origin;
• geographical origin;
• marketable condition;
• method of obtaining;
• density;
• color and transparency;
• taste and smell.

flower honey bees produce from the nectar of flowering and non-flowering plants.

Derived from honeydew (the sweet, sticky sap of plant stems and leaves) and honeydew (a sweet liquid secreted by insects that feed on plant sap).

A typical example of the classification of honey by geographical origin is the name "Carpathian honey".

According to the method of extraction, honey can be honeycomb (in its natural form) and centrifugal (pumped out).

By density (or consistency), honey can be liquid and shrunken (crystallized).

By color, honey can be light and dark, according to this characteristic, you can roughly determine what the nectar was collected from: light honey is obtained from linden, acacia, sunflower, dark - from buckwheat and chestnut.

The transparency of honey determines the presence of bee bread (pollen) and crystallization processes. Natural honey is sweet with different notes: with a characteristic aftertaste, bitterness or cloying. The aroma of honey is determined by honey plants.

Honey collected from one plant exudes a pronounced smell, a diverse aroma is obtained from a whole bouquet of plants. All types of honey have similar medicinal properties. Honey has a wound healing, antibacterial, soothing effect, has a positive effect on the cardiovascular, digestive, and nervous systems.

Did you know? In 2015, Ukraine became the first country in Europe and the third country in the world in terms of the amount of honey produced.

– a very valuable product that comes to our table in its natural packaging - honeycombs, bypassing contact with technological equipment. For particularly demanding customers, honeycombs are a guarantee of quality and protection against fakes. In addition, if the honeycomb cells are sealed with natural “caps” (wax plates), it means that the honey in them is fully ripe.
Honey in combs is well preserved and does not crystallize for a long time. Comb honey is much more fragrant, and it can be consumed along with honeycombs.

From wax, the body receives useful fat-soluble biologically active substances, vitamins and natural antibiotics. Fatty acids of wax and propolis increase the body's defenses and prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

Propolis has bactericidal, antitoxic, antiviral, fungicidal and anti-inflammatory effects. Flavonoids, which contains propolis, enhance the effect of vitamin C and reduce the likelihood of thrombosis.

Wax cleans the gums and teeth from plaque, and the propolis contained in it destroys pathogenic bacteria. Wax acts as a natural absorbent in the digestive system.

The benefits of daily use of comb honey are undeniable: it will help protect the body from colds, cope with stress and restore strength during hard work.

Did you know? Propolis is a resinous brown bee glue that bees create by collecting sticky substances from tree buds and modifying them with their enzymes. With its help, the bees cover the cracks, disinfect the honeycombs, and regulate the passability of the notch.

monofloral flower honey

Honey from only one plant is called monofloral. Such honey in its pure form is very rare, more often a particular plant prevails by 40-60 percent.

White acacia honey transparent in liquid form and white in solidified form. from yellow acacia It turns out light, almost transparent liquid honey. Aromatic acacia honey has a delicate taste and bitterness is not characteristic of it, and due to the high fructose content, it can stay in a liquid state for quite a long time (1-2 years).
Acacia honey is easily absorbed by the body and can replace sugar and sweets. The product is an important component of diabetic nutrition; insulin is not required for its processing. It does not cause allergic reactions and has a good effect on the digestion of children.

With hypertension, this honey helps to lower blood pressure, favorably affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

The antiseptic properties of acacia honey are useful for eye diseases: a solution of honey in distilled water is instilled into the eyes; lotions are used for conjunctivitis.

Ointments and solutions with honey are used to treat dermatitis, wounds and ulcers. Traditional medicine advises simply applying honey to the affected areas of the skin.

In industrial cosmetology, acacia honey is used in the preparation of creams. Can be done at home honey masks. For normal and dry skin, honey is mixed with olive oil, for oily skin - with egg white. After 20 minutes, the mask is washed off with warm water. Washing with water with honey helps the skin cope with minor imperfections and improve nutrition.

Important! Candied honey is a good alternative to industrial skin scrubs.

Buckwheat honey is easy to recognize. Its shades are dark (orange, terracotta, brown), and the taste is spicy and tart, sometimes even bitter, from which itchy in the throat. Buckwheat honey crystallizes quickly.
Buckwheat honey, due to the presence of many vitamins, has a general strengthening effect on the body. It is useful during a period of increased activity of colds, as it helps to increase immunity and improve the body's defenses.

Buckwheat honey helps to cope with tissue damage: reduces inflammation, promotes wound healing. To restore the gastric mucosa in case of peptic ulcer, it is recommended to drink a glass of boiled water on an empty stomach daily and eat a dessert spoon of buckwheat honey after 15 minutes.

With the use of buckwheat honey, vitamin supplements are prepared.

To store honey, it is advisable to choose tightly closed glass, ceramic, aluminum containers or stainless steel dishes. Plastic containers should not have a specific smell.

Important! A mixture of honey and radish juice is an excellent cough remedy.

Rich brown color and bitter taste are the hallmarks of chestnut honey. Often this honey is more expensive. Light honey is obtained from horse chestnut, dark honey is obtained from sowing chestnut. Not everyone likes its specific taste, many prefer more popular types of honey, but connoisseurs will definitely appreciate the interesting nutty aftertaste and tart aroma.
Like other types of honey, chestnut honey has many medicinal properties.

It is recommended to eat it for colds, insomnia, nervous tension. Chestnut honey is a strong natural antibiotic, it will help fight inflammation, strengthen blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and increase appetite. It has a choleretic effect, stimulates digestion, tones the body.

Chestnut honey should be eaten with caution by children and people prone to allergies.

Important! Sometimes dishonest sellers try to fake the dark color of chestnut honey by adding burnt sugar to it. Such fake honey has an appropriate aftertaste.

Linden honey is one of the best varieties of honey. It is transparent, light yellow with an amber or greenish tint (due to honeydew), the smell of honey resembles the scent of lime flowers - sweet and fragrant with hints of mint and camphor. The taste of honey is very pleasant, with a persistent aftertaste and possible slight bitterness.
The shrunken honey has a bright yellow color and a coarse-grained structure. It is candied 3-4 months after pumping, gradually losing transparency and acquiring a thick consistency.

Also, this type of honey is useful for the liver and organs of the digestive system (it has a slight laxative effect), it restores strength, strengthens the general condition of the body.

The optimal daily intake of linden honey is 2 tablespoons for adults and 2 teaspoons for children.

Did you know? From the flowers of one medium linden, under optimal conditions, bees can produce more than 16 kg of honey.

Bees collect nectar from the flowers of garden or forest raspberries in the first months of summer. The structure of the flower allows them to do this even in rainy weather. Forest raspberries are a more productive honey plant: bees collect 70-100 kg of honey from an area of ​​one hectare, and 50 kg from garden raspberries.
Fresh raspberry honey has a golden hue, a pleasant aroma of raspberries, a soft structure and a delicate taste without bitterness. During the crystallization process, raspberry honey becomes grainy and takes on a creamy hue.

This type of honey is a wonderful immunomodulatory agent and a strong assistant in the treatment of colds and respiratory diseases. Traditional medicine prescribes the use of raspberry honey with warm tea or milk.

For inhalation, pour into a small teapot a glass of hot water and add a spoonful of honey, you need to breathe in pairs for about half an hour. This procedure can be done for 10 days.

It is useful to eat raspberry honey in the presence of wounds and stomatitis in the mouth, chronic fatigue and neuroses. It will help the body to relax and establish a sound sleep. In ancient times, the property of honey to eliminate inflammation was used by women in the treatment of their diseases (ulcers, cysts).

Important! To distinguish real honey from fake, it is important to know a few rules. Real mature honey is viscous, it cannot drip from a spoon like jelly. In winter, honey cannot be liquid. If you dissolve high-quality honey in a glass of water, no sediment should form. If you put a drop of iodine on honey and it turns blue, then the honey is thickened with starch.

sunflower honey

Sunflower honey is easy to recognize: it is bright yellow, sweet and slightly tart in the first seconds. This honey crystallizes very quickly, a white crust often forms on the surface, and after 2-3 weeks, liquid honey turns into a thick mass with large lumps. This is due to the fact that 50% of the mass of honey is glucose. Mature honey is hard, with yellow or amber crystals, reminiscent of melted butter.

Sunflower honey contains a large set of useful amino acids necessary for protein synthesis, and antioxidants.

Due to its not very attractive appearance, buyers often bypass this type of honey. In fact, it has many healing properties. Sunflower honey is a natural antidepressant, it also strengthens the walls of blood vessels, reduces swelling, and improves liver function. A high glucose content contributes to the rhythmic work of the heart.

The combination of sunflower honey and cinnamon is effective for the prevention of arthritis.

Important! When heated above 50 ° C, honey loses its valuable properties.

Rapeseed honey is more popular in Europe and America, in our country rapeseed is mainly considered as a fodder crop for animals. The plant contains essential oils that give honey its characteristic aroma. From 1 hectare of rapeseed field you can get up to 90 kg of honey.
Rapeseed honey is characterized by a light yellow color (after crystallization - white) and a pronounced pungent odor. The taste of this honey is very sweet, even a little sugary, as it contains a large amount of glucose and fructose, and leaves a bitter aftertaste. It is practically insoluble in water, it is better not to add it to drinks.

The consistency of rapeseed honey is thick. Honey crystallization occurs so quickly that it can be sugared a day after collection, and it will no longer be possible to pump it out. Therefore, rapeseed honey is often fed to bees in hives.

At home, rapeseed honey can be stored in a liquid state for up to 3 weeks, so it is better to buy it in small containers and use it right away. A jar of honey is stored in a cool dark place.

Rapeseed honey is useful for anemia and diseases of the cardiovascular system. The boron contained in it contributes to the restoration of bone tissue and the functioning of the thyroid gland. Honey saturates the body with energy, which is important during heavy physical exertion. Rapeseed honey is effective in fighting coughs and is great for soothing sore throats.

Important! Sometimes honey can cause asthma attacks. A contraindication to the use of honey is individual intolerance. Diabetics with type 2 diabetes should discuss this issue with their doctor. It is not recommended to eat honey for children under 3 years old.

Polyflora flower honey

polyfloral honey produced from the nectar of various honey plants. Honey often gets its names from the land from which it was collected: forest, steppe, meadow, mountain.

May honey is the earliest honey pumped out in mid-May - early June. This honey has light colors (from white to yellow) and a sweet taste without bitterness. Immediately after pumping, it looks like a sweet light syrup with almost no smell, it gets its final appearance when it is infused for 3-5 months.
The aroma of May honey is a unique bouquet of smells of various honey plants blooming in spring: lily of the valley, bird cherry, currant, strawberry, lingonberry, cherry, apple tree, pear, sage, willow.

May honey is the most popular and in demand, it has many medicinal properties, like other types of honey.

The special benefit of May honey is that it is low allergenic and can be safely used in baby food, and the presence of fructose allows diabetics to eat it.

Important! If you suffer from insomnia, try drinking a glass of warm milk or water with a spoonful of honey before bed.

forest honey

Forest honey is produced by bees from the nectar of flowers of forest trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants (maple, acacia, willow, chokeberry, broom, bird cherry, hawthorn, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, oregano, lily of the valley, thyme).
Such honey has a slightly tart bitter taste and a very fragrant aroma of herbs. The color of forest honey depends on which plants served as honey plants: it varies from light to dark shades. During long-term storage, honey acquires a heterogeneous structure with small crystals; initially, it can have both a liquid and a thick consistency. Hives for a forest apiary are placed in glades and forest edges.

Forest honey is a very healing product that has collected the beneficial qualities of many plants. In terms of the number of medicinal properties and useful substances, forest honey is the leader among all types of honey.

It contains a large amount of vitamins (A, B1, B2, B6, C, PP, K, E) and minerals, has a beneficial effect on almost all organ systems, has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

Forest honey helps to increase the level of hemoglobin, tones the body and is recommended for insomnia. It is useful for the prevention and treatment of colds: during a period of increased risk, a mixture of chopped dried fruits and nuts with honey will be a tasty and healthy vitamin supplement to the diet.

Do not forget that forest honey is high in calories and often causes allergic reactions in children.

Did you know? Beekeeping is an ancient method in beekeeping, based on the use of bees - a natural or hollowed out hollow in trees for keeping bees. With the development of cultural beekeeping and the spread of the frame hive, it lost its importance and is rarely used, but on the territory of Ukraine it is still found in the forests of Polissya.

field honey

This type of honey is very popular. It is based on the nectar of many field herbs: oregano, valerian, celandine, mustard, thyme, shepherd's purse, sage, wild rose, clover, alfalfa, willow-tea, dandelion, chamomile, thyme, chicory, St. John's wort, thistle, nightshade.
The taste and medicinal qualities, as well as the appearance of field honey, depend on the predominance of characteristic plants in the honey collection area. From the same field in different seasons, honey can be obtained with different characteristics. The color range of such honey is from colorless to yellow-orange and light brown, the taste is sweet with bitterness, the smell is pleasant, herbal.

If the predominant plant is rosehip, honey contains a large amount of vitamins. Sage and chamomile provide honey with anti-inflammatory properties, thyme - expectorant, diuretic and bactericidal, valerian - soothing. Honey from St. John's wort flowers is effective in the treatment of skin abscesses, ulcers, wounds.

Steppe honey

Steppe honey has absorbed the aroma and beneficial properties of steppe herbs, it is characterized by high nutritional and healing properties. Honey plants for such honey are cultivated (buckwheat, clover, rapeseed, thyme, sweet clover) and wild plants (dandelion, thistle, cornflower, thistle, wild radish) plants.
Honey has amber and golden hues, a flowery-herbaceous smell and a pleasant tart taste, it quickly crystallizes.

Steppe honey is useful to take in diseases of the liver, respiratory organs and colds. The calming effect of steppe honey is effective for nervous disorders, headaches, stress, and insomnia.

Honey helps to normalize blood pressure, expand the coronary vessels. For the treatment of gastritis with high acidity, it is recommended take three times a day a few hours before meals a glass of warm boiled milk with a tablespoon of steppe honey.

Did you know? From plants such as azalea, andromeda, aconite, wild rosemary, common privet, heather chalice, mountain laurel, rhododendron, hellebore, the so-called "drunk honey" is obtained. It causes signs of intoxication or poisoning in a person: nausea, vomiting, dizziness and weakness, respiratory distress and heart function, and sometimes loss of consciousness.

mountain honey

Mountain honey is an elite and expensive type of honey collected in an ecologically clean mountainous area (in the foothills, at the foot of the mountains). More than 50 plants can be honey plants for mountain honey: acacia, hawthorn, blackthorn, bird cherry, wild rose, thistle, sage, elecampane, oregano, veronica, lemon balm, thyme, hawthorn.
Mountain honey is polyfloral, so its smell combines the aromas of many flowers, and the taste is astringency and bitterness. The type of honey depends on the region in which it was collected. The color of mountain honey is light shades of yellow and brown.

Real mountain honey is an excellent remedy for colds, diseases of the respiratory tract, eyes, liver, it is good for the cardiovascular system and the thyroid gland, calms the nervous system, has an antibacterial property, due to which it is used in the treatment of wounds and burns.

Mountain honey is a strong immunomodulator. It is also recommended for the nutrition of diabetics.

Did you know? Representatives of the Nepalese Gurung people extract wild honey at a height of 25 meters above the ground with the help of simple tools: rope ladders and long bamboo sticks.

In hot weather, when plants stop producing nectar, bees collect honeydew and fall. The first is a sweetish liquid that is secreted by the leaves and shoots of plants, and the second is the waste product of insects (aphids, psyllids, mealybugs) that feed on plant sap.

This liquid contains protein breakdown products and other substances of animal origin.

When the source of honeydew is the leaves of coniferous trees (fir, spruce, pine), honey is called coniferous; pad collected from deciduous trees (linden, maple, oak, willow, ash, cherry, plum, apple, willow) becomes the basis of coniferous honey.

Bees collect honeydew in the highlands and in coniferous-deciduous forests. Often honeydew honey contains some part of flower honey, this type of honey is called mixed. Honeydew honey is categorically not suitable for feeding bees in winter. Too much content of minerals and nitrogenous compounds can lead to the death of the bee family.
Honeydew honey is produced during a dry summer or late season when most of the plants have faded. It has a viscous, sticky structure, dark brown or orange-yellow (pine needle honey) color and contains many minerals. Such honey has a sweetish taste with hints of bitterness. The aroma of honeydew honey is peculiar, spicy. This type of honey does not dissolve well in water.

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The medicinal properties of honey have been known since ancient times. As well as various areas of human life in which honey and its derivatives are used: medicine, health improvement, maintaining the health of young and old people, cosmetology, and also as a very tasty and nutritious food product.

Indeed, honey is the most valuable complex of all nutrients necessary for the human body.

However, not everyone knows about the types of honey. Actually, this is not surprising - after all, there are dozens of types of honey! But it is necessary to know the brief characteristics of individual types of honey not only in order to expand your horizons, but also for its correct use, since each type of honey has its own compositional characteristics. The scope of a particular type and variety of honey depends on the composition.

Let's take a short trip to the land of honey. Each type of honey has its own color, its own texture, characteristic features.

Types of flower honey

• Honey collected from plants of one species is called monofloral, and its name comes from the name of this plant (lime, buckwheat, acacia).
• Collected from several types of plants, honey is called polyfloral (or prefabricated flower); its name in this case comes from the place where the honey was collected (mountain, field, forest).

So, the most widespread types of honey, depending on the plant from which it was collected, and their brief characteristics:

• Acacia honey - is used mainly as a tonic and sedative, for nervous diseases and insomnia. It is considered one of the most useful varieties. The honey itself is very light and transparent, crystallization occurs slowly. It has a delicate aroma and delicate taste.
• Hawthorn honey - useful for tachycardia, heart disease and hypertension, with an increase in thyroid function. The taste is bitter, the aroma is specific. Dark honey.
• Buckwheat honey is most useful for anemia, because it contains a large amount of iron. It also contains a large amount of vitamins and microelements, therefore this honey is often recommended for beriberi, improving the permeability of capillary walls. The color of this type of honey can be dark yellow, dark brown. It has a pleasant aroma and tart taste.
• Field honey is an excellent sedative for the nervous system, helps with diseases of the upper respiratory tract. Field honey is recommended for insomnia and headaches.
• Sweet clover honey - has a diuretic, expectorant, analgesic effect, thins the blood, improves blood circulation. It is one of the best varieties of honey. More common white and light amber. The taste is delicate, the aroma resembles the smell of vanilla.
• Clover honey - excellent in the treatment of colds and lung diseases as an expectorant and diaphoretic. This honey is transparent, has a delicate aroma and delicate taste.
• Forest honey - especially useful for respiratory diseases.
• Linden honey - has excellent nutritional and medicinal properties, is used in the treatment of colds and inflammation of the digestive tract, diseases of the gallbladder and kidneys.
• Meadow honey is an excellent antimicrobial and general tonic.
• May honey is recommended as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent.
• Sunflower honey - used for influenza, neuralgia, liver diseases.
• Chestnut honey is an excellent remedy for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes.
• Mustard honey - useful for diseases of the joints, skin, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Fruit honey - collected from the flowers of trees during their flowering period. In the fresh state, it is transparent with a red-yellow tint, becoming light yellow after crystallization.
• Mountain honey - the price for ecological cleanliness. It has a bitter taste and strong aroma.
• Rapeseed honey is especially useful for lung diseases, asthma, does not cause allergies. It has a weak aroma and sugary taste.
• Raspberry honey is a light golden honey with a pleasant smell and taste reminiscent of the taste of raspberries. It is in high demand in the treatment of women's diseases, respiratory tract.

We have listed only a small part of the types of honey. Each of them has its own characteristic feature in taste, aroma, color and medicinal qualities.

Characteristics of honey

Honey is the product of the nectar partially digested in the bee's crop. Natural honey has a pronounced sweet taste. The smell (or aroma) of honey depends on the characteristics of a particular plant.

Honey contains:

• Water - 13-23 g;
• Fats - 0 g;
• Proteins - 0 g;
• Carbohydrates - fructose, glucose, sucrose - 82.4 g;
• Vitamins - E, K, C, group B, folic acid, provitamin A-carotene, pantothenic acid;
• Trace elements - calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, sodium.

Honey is divided according to:

• botanical origin;
• Trademark;
• geographical origin;
• Smell and taste;
• Transparency and color;
• Consistencies.

By origin, honey is:

• floral - formed as a result of the collection and further processing of nectar, which is secreted by nectaries of both flowering and non-flowering plants ;
• honeydew - formed when bees collect honeydew (sweet secretions of aphids) and honeydew from the stems and leaves of plants. This type of honey contains more minerals and dextrins than flower honey.

Depending on the consistency, honey is divided into the following types:

• Liquid - fresh honey has just such a normal state after pumping it out of the honeycombs. It can have a different degree of density, which depends on a lower or higher water content in honey and partly on air temperature.
• "Shrunk" (or crystallized) - honey is formed naturally from liquid honey. Dandelion honey "sits down" most quickly; honey collected from herbs “sits down” 2-3 months after its collection. Crystallized honey does not lose its beneficial qualities.

Also, honey is divided by its color, which depends on the plant from whose nectar honey was obtained:

• light color;
• Dark color. At the same time, there are many different shades of honey from pure white to red-brown.

artificial honey

This type of honey is made from beet and cane sugar, corn, watermelon juice, melon. This type of honey does not contain enzymes in its composition and does not have a characteristic aroma. A little natural honey is added to artificial honey for the appearance of a “honey” aroma and tinted with a decoction of tea or saffron.

This type of honey is obtained by acid hydrolysis of beet or cane sugar. Or by evaporating the juice of watermelon, melon, grapes. Upon evaporation, a mixture with a characteristic yellowish tint is obtained. It retains the content of fructose, glucose. As a result of all the necessary processes, honey is obtained, which has a large amount of carbohydrates, easily digestible minerals.

sugar honey

Often in the markets they try to sell a fake of artificial honey - sugar honey. It is made from ordinary sugar syrup; for color and smell, honey and tea broth are added to it. Such fake "honey" is often the cause of poisoning.

In order not to become a victim of deceivers and be able to distinguish natural honey from fake, read a few tips to help distinguish natural honey from a fake:

• Real honey does not contain a lot of water in its composition, therefore a piece of bread dipped in such honey will not soften;
• Natural honey can be screwed on a spoon, artificial honey cannot;
• When mixing 50 g of distilled water and 50 g of honey, the impurities contained here will sink to the bottom or float to the surface.

In today's article we will talk about such a useful product as -.

We all know from childhood that honey is very useful, and regardless of whether we like it or not, we always try to have honey in our house. Many people use honey not only for the treatment of diseases, for cosmetic purposes, for massage, in the preparation of various culinary masterpieces, but also in many other areas of life. Therefore, due to the popularity of honey, people, unfortunately, have learned to make honey without bees and profit from buyers who cannot distinguish real honey from a fake, which not only does not bring benefits, but can seriously harm our health.

So, let's arm ourselves with the necessary knowledge about honey, and find out how to choose real honey and not buy a fake one.

honey classification

Honey is distinguished by:

- origin;
- manufacturing method;
- Color and texture.

Origin:

- Monofloral - formed from the nectar of one plant (linden, maple, buckwheat, acacia, etc.).
- Polyfloral - mixed, formed from nectar from different plants (meadow, steppe, garden, etc.).

Honey is floral and honeydew.

Honeydew honey is produced not from the nectar of flowers, but from honeydew, the sweet juice secreted by leaves and honeydew (excretions in the form of liquid sweet drops of herbaceous aphids, mealybugs, fleas). Honeydew honey is dark in color, viscous, has an unpleasant aftertaste and bad aroma. This type of honey is used for processing.

Bees collect flower honey only from the nectar of flowers.

According to the manufacturing method:

Gravity flowing, freely flowing from the honeycomb, pressed and centrifugal, separated by a centrifuge. This is the purest and most transparent honey. The method of obtaining honey using a centrifuge is the most common.

Color and texture:

The consistency of honey is liquid and thick (as a result of crystallized glucose).

The color of honey depends only on the variety. The color of real honey can be all shades of brown and yellow.

Below are the main types of honey:

Lime. Light yellow, crystallizes easily, has a characteristic odor. It is used for respiratory diseases, good for colds and, including for inhalation. Good effect on the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys. From one linden, bees can collect about 40 kg of honey.

Acacia. Transparent, light, more liquid, with a slight aroma of acacia. Crystallizes slowly. It is used in diseases of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract and female inflammatory diseases, not only internally but also externally, due to its bactericidal properties.

Buckwheat. Bright brown color, with a characteristic smell and slight bitterness. This type of honey is used in confectionery. Treats diseases of the stomach, blood and skin

Field and meadow. Light amber or brown in color, with a very pleasant smell and taste. It has almost all medicinal properties.

Fruit honey. Collected from berry and fruit crops. Light amber, with a delicate smell and taste. Has dietary properties.

Sunflower. Golden yellow color, pleasant taste, crystallizes quickly. Anti-allergic, but inferior in medicinal properties to the main types of honey.

Types of fake honey:

– natural honey with additives;
- honey from products of non-nectar origin;
- artificial honey.

When buying honey, pay attention to:

Price. If you want to buy honey cheaper, then you can slip sugar syrup for a good price, which will be tinted with tea. This type of fake is mixed a little with real honey, and then it will be difficult to find the difference from real honey. For fakes, sucrose, molasses, starch, chalk and even sand are used. Craftsman beekeepers have learned to fake honey in such a way that it is difficult to figure it out even in laboratory conditions. The most common fake is when the bees are fed with sugar syrup and as a result we get processed sugar, not nectar from the fields.

Color. Unnaturally white honey can be sugary. Unnaturally dark, even dark brown honey can be either melted (with a taste of caramel) or, in the worst case, honeydew (made by bees from insect secretions). Such honey not only does not contain useful substances, but is also harmful to health.

Each type of honey has its own natural color: floral - light yellow, linden - amber, ash - transparent, buckwheat - any shade of brown.

But any variety, regardless of color, if it is real and pure, will be transparent. While honey with additives will be cloudy and, if you look closely, with sediment.

Smell. If honey has a pleasant rich aroma, then it is real, because in a fake one there is practically no smell, and if it is heard, then it is from sweet water.

Taste. Real honey, when you try it evenly, will dissolve in your mouth without residue, there will be no crystals or powdered sugar on your tongue. Also, after real honey, it will be a little sore in the throat.

All types of honey have a sweet taste, but some of the varieties have a specific taste (tobacco, chestnut and willow varieties have a bitter taste, and heather varieties are astringent). Any deviations in the taste of honey indicate its poor quality. Other taste defects may be due to the presence of impurities. Excessive acidity may be due to fermentation that has begun, the aroma of caramel is the result of heating and melting honey, bitterness is due to improper storage conditions.

Viscosity and consistency. Dip a toothpick into a plate, and if it is real honey, then it should be pulled with a long continuous thread, and when the thread breaks, it will completely lower, forming a small hill on the surface of the honey, which will smoothly and slowly diverge. Natural honey is thin and delicate, easily absorbed into the skin without leaving lumps.

Real honey does not roll off the spoon quickly. Take a tablespoon of honey and turn the spoon over several times in a quick circular motion. Honey will wrap around it, almost not dripping.

Immerse the spoon into the honey container. Pulling out the spoon, follow the flow of honey. A quality one will form a ribbon and lie down in a slide, and bubbles form on its surface.

Natural honey is liquid and crystallized. The crystallization time depends on the colors and on the storage temperature.

Most of the varieties of honey crystallize in November-December. So, buying candied honey at this time, there can be no doubt that it is real. If honey is in a jar and two layers have formed: denser at the bottom and more liquid at the top, then this is a fake. Because few varieties of honey (heather, acacia, chestnut), in which there is a lot of fructose, remain liquid until spring. Natural liquid honey in the middle of winter is a huge rarity. It can be either sugar (the bees were fed with sugar) or melted.

Dip a piece of bread in honey for 10 minutes. In real honey, the bread will harden, and in a fake it will soften. This is a sign that sugar syrup has been added to the honey. Real honey is completely water-free.

Take a drop of honey and sprinkle it with a pinch of starch. If the starch remains on top of the yellow droplet with a white cap, the honey is real; if not, it is a fake.

To a spoonful of honey diluted with distilled water, add a few drops of vinegar. In the presence of chalk, the mixture will boil up due to the release of carbon dioxide.

And if, instead of vinegar, you drop a few drops of iodine and it turns blue, then starch was added to the honey.

Drop honey on paper and set it on fire. Real honey does not burn, does not melt or turn brown, only the paper around it will burn. If the honey melted, then the bees were fed with sugar syrup, and if it turned brown, diluted with sugar.

Video about the difference between real honey and fake

That's all for today, and in the following articles, dear readers, we will get acquainted with you with methods for storing honey, and also dwell on its beneficial properties.

Almost from childhood, everyone has information about the incredible benefits of natural honey and its possible types. However, such knowledge is limited to a list of varieties that is several names long (the most popular options are herbs, May, buckwheat, linden).

With healing properties, the situation is similar: the bee product is actively used mainly in the treatment and prevention of colds and SARS, to cover vitamin deficiency and less often for cosmetic purposes. However, the scope of possible application is much wider, and the number of existing species can surprise.

General properties of honey

Any type of bee product is characterized by the following effects:

• prevention of colds and SARS;
• providing antiseptic, restorative, invigorating, antibacterial, soothing, rejuvenating (in case of external use) effect;
• acceleration of metabolic processes in the body;
• improving the efficiency of the immune system;
• covering the body's needs for a number of vital vitamin and mineral components;
• prevention of anemia;
• providing the body with energy (the property is provided by the contained carbohydrates);
• replenishment of the supply of proteins (the latter are involved in the production of enzymes and hormones);
• acceleration of recovery processes after illnesses, physical and emotional overwork;
• a positive effect on the activity of the nervous system, stomach, intestines, heart and blood vessels (occurs due to the contained minerals).

Varieties

Classification is carried out according to several criteria:

1. By the number of plant species from which the delicacy was collected:

• monofloral (sweet clover, blackberry, mustard, cornflower blue, etc.);
• polyfloral (meadow, mountain, forest).

2. By consistency:

• liquid;
• crystallized.

3.By coloring:

• dark;
• light coloured.

4.By origin:

• derived from nectar (floral);
• obtained from the sweet secretions of aphids (honeydew).

Depending on the specific plant from which the nectar is collected. There are a huge number of varieties according to this criterion.

Description of types of honey

Medicinal properties, taste, aromatic and external characteristics may differ markedly depending on the type of product.

The second name is forbs.

Product Features:

• color - muted yellow / brown-yellow;
• smell of meadow plants.

Impact:

• increased blood flow in the brain (result - improved concentration and memory abilities);
• prevention of the formation of cholesterol plaques;
• prevention of sclerosis;
• normalization of sleep;
• providing a diuretic effect;
• cleaning from slags;
• pain suppression;
• normalization of the heartbeat;
• help in the treatment of vegetovascular dystonia.

The fresh product is characterized by transparency and almost complete colorlessness. In the process of crystallization, the color becomes milky.

The species has the following properties:

• reducing the negative impact of drug treatment;
• providing a hypnotic effect;
• help with neurasthenia, constipation, flatulence, treatment of urinary incontinence;
• suppression of antispasmodic processes;
• positive effect on the reproductive system.

Buckwheat

Distinctive features of the variety:

• the color is dark, the predominant shade is brown, additional ones are greenish, red;
• the aroma and taste are specific and pronounced.

Useful features of this honey:

• strengthening the muscular structure of the heart;
• help with stones in the gallbladder and bile ducts, as well as a preventive effect with a tendency to their formation;
• increasing the effectiveness of therapy for kidney and liver diseases;
• suppression of colic;
• enrichment of the body with iron, vitamin components, amino acids (the property is manifested to a greater extent compared to many other types of honey).

Lime

Product highlights:

• possible color options - white, colorless, slightly amber, light yellow, greenish;
• the smell of lime blossom;
• the duration of the period of stay in the liquid state is 2 months.

Action taken:

• increase in regenerative processes (the property causes external use for burns, purulent injuries);
• help with weakening the muscle tissue of the heart, asthma, gynecological ailments, kidney and liver diseases;
• increasing the effectiveness and speed of treatment of bronchitis, laryngitis, tracheitis.

Sunflower

Distinctive features of this honey:

• pronounced golden color, after crystallization it is possible to acquire a light green tint;
• sweet smell;
• sharp taste.