Honey is one of the important things placed in our kitchen. Since ages man has been using honey for various purposes. Honey has application as a food as well as a medicine. It finds application in baking, home remedies, beverages and a lot other areas in our daily lives. Most people are aware that the source of honey is the nectar of flowering plants. But what is rarely known is the fact that the honey bees collect nectar, swallow it and facilitate its storage in their honey stomach. Then eventually, it is taken out and supplied to other honey bees who repeat the process. When honey is prepared completely, then the bees place it in the honeycomb.
Honey can be included in our diet in the following ways:
- Honey Butter: Butter toppings on the bread are a favorite among many people. To add more taste to it, a rich topping of honey can be added. Generally, a ratio of 1 part of honey to four parts of room temperature can really enhance the taste of bread. Honey butter can be applied to foods containing starch like corn bread, biscuits, and muffins. But it can be tried on any other food also. Cinnamon or vanilla extracts can also be added to further augment the flavors.
- Hot Toddy: During winter a warm drink is always a mood maker. Hot Toddy is a favorite among people during the cold weather and it is really easy to make. It is basically a combination liquor, honey, lemon, and tea. Whether to keep tea or not is a personal choice. This hot toddy can really help in the soothing of congestion and sore throat. The addition of honey to hot tea also enhances the taste of the beverage.
- Challah: Challah is a traditional Jewish preparation. It is a kind of bread or loaf. It can be had in dinner but overall it can be a good snack to eat at any time. Sugar is also used as a sweetener but honey can replace it as a better choice from a health point of view. While replacing sugar by honey, few precautions are to be taken. One has to reduce the amount of water for dough and egg yolk can be added to get more glaze. The basic reason of adding honey in place of sugar can be the preservative property of honey.
- Soups: People having a taste for sweetness can try sweetened soup. Although the soup is not entirely sweet, it generally has a complex taste consisting of carrots, ginger fruits, sweet potatoes and seasoning with honey. A drizzle of honey may add taste to the soup but care should be taken of personal choice and accordingly honey is to be added.
- Snack Bars and Cookies: Baked cookies and snack bars can really taste heavenly with the right amount of honey put into them. Honey is suitable to prepare baked goods which are to be soft and chewy as it retains its sticky, moist and flexible texture. Item prepared with honey as an ingredient can be stored for long and always act as an immediate energy source.
