Rosemary, orange blossom, eucalyptus, lavender, thousand flower or thyme honey. These are just some of the 40 different types of honey that we can find in Spain and that would explain why, when we talk about it, a very wide window of possibilities opens up.
The wide range of colors of this product is the result of the laborious work of bees: from the darker amber ones to the lighter ones, passing through the reddish ones or the almost white ones. But not only does the color make the difference, its consistency (which can be fluid, thick or crystallized) also offers us a product with a different smell, aroma and flavor.
What is honey, what is its composition and which one to choose
Honey is a sweet substance that bees make from the nectar of flowers. We are faced with a food rich in energy whose nutritional content varies depending on the variety of flowers and the type of hive. According to the Spanish Heart Foundation, it offers more than 60 different substancesamong which sugars, organic acids, vitamins C, B1, B2, B3 and B5 stand out; folic acid; minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, iodine or zinc; essential amino acids, flavonoids, polyphenols and enzymes.
But if it stands out for something, it is for its contribution of sugars, between 75% and 80%, of which 70% are glucose and fructose, which are absorbed quickly in the intestinal mucosa and provide us with energy in a short time. All these particularities make honey a suitable product for anemic or convalescent people who need extra help.
If we have to talk about some ‘but’ about honey, we must take into account that 100 grams of honey provide about 300 calories, hence its consumption must be controlled in certain cases, although in moderate quantities it can even be taken by those people who must monitor the weight. However, it is not recommended for babiessince your digestive system is not capable of destroying certain bacteria that honey may have.
Each honey offers a unique flavor reminiscent of the flower from which it comes. And this is where we can talk about two types of honey: polyfloral, that is, it comes from several types of plants; monofloral, which are those that come from a food that clearly stands out in a specific area.
Choosing the right one is basically a matter of taste. We already know that there are numerous varieties of honey. Some of the best known are acacia, one of the most popular and sweet, with a subtle flavor and fairly light color. It is more concentrated in fructose than glucose and is rich in vitamins and minerals. Chestnut honey, on the other hand, is darker, with an intense and powerful flavor. It is interesting for its contribution of mineral salts, vitamins and trace elements.
Another classic honey is orange blossom honey, especially from the Mediterranean area. It is also a very soft honey, with a sweet flavor and a floral aroma that has a light amber color, similar to rosemary, with a sweet and aromatic flavor and a very light amber color, almost white when crystallized.
Thyme honey is also lighter in tone, although its color may vary depending on the type of thyme. With a sweet flavor, it also provides a very particular touch of acidity. Milflower honey, which takes its name from the fact that it comes from the nectar that bees collect from different flowers. This honey is also very clear, almost translucent, although with an intense floral aroma.
Why is there honey of different colors?
Whether a honey is one way or another, lighter or darker, more liquid or thicker, depends on several factors. The most decisive are the flowers and plants that the bees pollinate, the environment in which the hives are or the time of year in which it is harvested.
Not all flowers are the same, therefore, not all honeys will be the same either in terms of flavor or tone. We have already seen that a flower of the acacia type will give us a lighter honey, while the chestnut one is much darker; a rosemary honey will be clear and bright and that of a thousand flowers varies between gold and dark amber. Also the natural composition of the nectar -flavonoids, anthocyanins and carotenoids- are responsible for the different tones.
As for the climate, honey collected in spring is usually lighter than that collected in autumn. The length of storage also influences its color, since the older it is, the darker it becomes over time.
Uses of honey in cooking
Depending on the recipe we are going to make, whether it is sweet or salty, the honey we will use will be different. Everything will also depend on our taste preferences. In general terms, lighter honeys such as acacia, alfalfa, almond, milflower or rosemary are more pleasant and softer on the palate. For example, acacia honey stands out for its sweetness and finesse and lavender honey for its floral and sweet flavor.
If what we want is to use honey to make desserts, it is best to use the clearest ones, which will also be used to sweeten drinks such as tea, infusions and other hot drinks of this type.
Darker honeys, on the other hand, will be very good for giving character to a meat-based recipe, for making marinades or sauces because they are more aromatic and heavier, with a slight acidic and sometimes bitter flavor. We are talking about honeys such as forest, heather, chestnut, oak or milflower honey. These darker honeys will delight gourmets and lovers of stronger flavors, such as thyme.
When cooking, we must keep in mind that, if we overheat it, it loses part of the aroma and biological components. To avoid this, we can add it at the end of cooking. And if it is very thick, we can make it more liquid by heating it in a water bath.
Why is honey compacted? A peculiarity of honey is that it is a ‘living’ product, that is, it evolves and, when cold weather arrives, the natural sugars it contains lose solubility and crystallize, a natural process that makes them thicker, opaque and more clear. This does not happen in all types of honey, since those richer in fructose, such as holm oak honey, can almost always remain liquid.
Source: www.eldiario.es
