Sweet substance produced by honey bees from the nectar of flowers, or the secretions produced by living parts of plants or found on them, which the bees collect, transform and add with specific substances, finally storing it in the combs of the hive.
Preparation and storage
Honey is produced by bees from nectar, a sugary solution exuded from special glands, called nectars, generally located inside flowers. The bees collect the nectar, and store it in their honey sac, adding special enzymes which start the transformation, lowering the water content. In the hive they transfer it to other worker bees that ensure its complete transformation into honey and deposit it in the combs.
Honey should be stored away from light, air and at a constant temperature around 15° C. Do not keep honey near sources of heat above 25-30° C: it would age faster, progressively reducing its live elements like vitamins, enzymes and its very antibiotics.
Characteristic
It is generally viscous, and through a crystallization process it is transformed into a more or less compact substance. The colour varies from yellow, almost white to dark brown, nearly black, going through all shades of yellow, orange, brown, and green. Its flavour is sweet, aromatic and slightly acidic.
The aroma changes according to the flowers it comes from.