Honey

Mountain honey, linden honey and even acacia honey – there are numerous types of honey, each with their own composition, taste and texture. Discover the history of honey, its characteristics and its benefits to help you better understand why it has been used since time immemorial!

What is honey?

Made by bees from honey collected from different flowers in their environment, honey is the result of a long process in which nectar is mixed with saliva once transported to the hive. As days go by, it takes the form of a syrupy liquid, which is then stored in the cell to be used by the worker bees.

 

There are numerous types of honeys, as their taste, texture and colour varies depending on the type of flowers foraged from and the bees’ environment. Appreciated by everyone, honey can be used every day in multiple forms: as a sweetening agent, a cosmetic ingredient, or a teaspoonful on its own to delight the taste buds!

History of honey

Although it is deeply rooted in the present day, honey was used for centuries before our era, in numerous regions of the world.

In Egypt, honey was used with other hive products such as propolis, in order to embalm the dead. These two ingredients were notably popular for their antibacterial and healing properties.

Among the Greeks and Romans, honey was also used as a food supplement, known to give longevity to whoever consumed it regularly.

Characteristics of honey

While the characteristics of honey differ depending on the flowers foraged from and the bees’ environment, all types have a similar composition with 80% sugar, water, proteins, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. The texture of honey and its preservation also depend on its composition and variations, notably in terms of the quantity of fructose it contains.

 

The types of honey may be grouped into 2 categories: monofloral honey and polyfloral honey. As their name indicates, monofloral honeys are obtained from a single botanical species such as acacia or lavender, while polyfloral honeys are produced from a mixture of various flowers.

 

You will also find that Propolia offers a large selection of organic honeys, produced with greater respect for the bees and the environment.

Benefits and properties of honey

The composition of honey, rich in nutrients, makes it a popular ingredient due to its numerous properties, as well as for health, whether used in cooking or as a cosmetic ingredient to care for all types of skin.

For example, it can be consumed regularly at breakfast, incorporated in dishes or even as a sweetening agent in teas. It contributes to respiratory comfort and gives a sweet, comforting sensation due to its pleasant flavour and soft texture.

 

Honey also contains antioxidants, which help to combat the formation of free radicals responsible for ageing. The quantity of antioxidants varies depending on the botanical species from which it is taken. Honeys with a dark colour possess more. The antibacterial properties of honey are also useful for contributing to digestive and intestinal wellbeing.

 

As a cosmetic ingredient, honey possesses softening, moisturising, soothing, healing and antibacterial properties which make it an ideal natural ingredient to take care of the skin, but also the hair. It is therefore recommended for helping to combat the appearance of imperfections, for dry skin, as well as to help prevent the signs of ageing on mature skin.

Our honey based products

A specialist in hive products for over 40 years, honey is one of our key hive products, along with royal jelly, propolis and pollen.

Committed to French Apiculture since our company was founded, our honeys are rigorously selected from our partner beekeepers for their quality. We invite you to discover all our honey based products and our selection of rare honeys, in organic or conventional quality, from France and also from other European origin

Thyme honey, lavender honey and even chestnut honey – the hardest part will be choosing!