Secret, patience, gift… It is an incomprehensible process from the bee picking the flower to carrying the pollen, from processing to the preservation. Like a secret… Patience is the specialty of nature… Calm, unhurried, uninterrupted operation… And where secret meets patience, nature’s gesture to human beings. Unique food in which taste and health coexist; honey…

by Birgül Kopuz

– Bees collect flower nectars, the secretions of some creatures that live on plants or plants, modify them by mixing them with specific substances, and store them in honeycombs. We call this delicious and healthy fluid sweet substance honey. We consume it fondly.

In fact, the bee produces products such as royal jelly, propolis and honey in order to sustain its own life better. All we have to do is to benefit from this miracle of nature. Royal jelly from bee products; The honey emulsion and nutritional value of the worker bees to feed the queen is very high. The longevity of the queen bee, which has been fed royal jelly throughout its life, is the most important sign of this. While worker bees live about two months, queen bees live 6 to 8 years. Another bee product is propolis. Bees; They collect propolis to protect the nutrients in the hive, the offspring and themselves from various microbes (viruses, bacteria, fungi) and they disinfect the inside of the hives with it. Propolis used by bees against infections in the hive; It has been used as a support in the treatment of many ailments since ancient times due to its antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties.

– HONEY INTARIHSEL JOURNEY

The nourishing properties of honey have been known for centuries. B.C. We come across the bee symbol representing the pharaohs in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs around 3200. Honey, on the other hand, was considered to be the tears of the Sun God Ra in the world. Honey was so valuable that II. A part of the salaries of the officials of the Ramses era was paid with honey. A cow could be bought with a jar of honey. The first examples of beekeeping also coincide with the same period.

One of the attributes of the chief god Zeus in Ancient Greece was “King of the Bees”. Honey, on the other hand, was seen as the source of wisdom and creativity. Honey was the first place in the prescriptions of Hippocrates (466-377 BC) against high fever, injury, edema and inflammation. Famous thinker Aristotle (384-322 BC) wrote the first book to be a literature on beekeeping.

In the Middle Ages, the great Roman-German Emperor Sharleman (Charles I) obliged all his feudal lords to have a beekeeper each. He also prepared many laws on the protection of hives. For example, anyone who steals from a hive was sentenced to be burned alive in the square. Because at that time, there was no known sweetener other than honey, and the most important raw material for candle making was wax.

In Anatolia, on the other hand, the first traces of beekeeping were found in BC. We come across in the Hittite inscriptions found in Boğazköy around 1300. The Hittites used to pour honey on the stones used in the construction of sacred buildings and bless them. With this practice, honey was also thought to protect against evil.

– HONEY VARIETIES IN TURKEY

We live in a fortunate geography. Honey is produced in almost every region of our country. The first harvest begins in the Mediterranean region with citrus flower honey in April-May in Turkey. This is followed by clover flower honey from Diyarbakır, Malatya region. Then, chestnut flower honey from Düzce, Yalova and Kastamonu regions are harvested in June and sunflower honey from Thrace, Konya and Çukurova regions in June-July. In the Eastern and Southeastern regions, keven-thyme honey is harvested in June and July, and cotton honey from Şanlıurfa and Diyarbakır regions in July and August. In September and October, pine honey is harvested from the Aegean Region, and carob honey is harvested from the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts in the same months.

– THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE WALE

A spoonful of honey provides 65 calories of energy and actually meets our body’s natural sugar needs. Research shows that honey has a regulating effect on the stomach and intestinal system. In addition, honey is also included in many cosmetic products due to its positive effects on the skin. Providing an important food support with its content containing many beneficial substances such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes, honey opens the doors to a healthy and quality life. When consumed regularly, it increases the body’s energy and strengthens the immune system. Honey products, which are fully compatible with the body and have beneficial effects, help to maintain weight with the vitamins and amino acids they contain. In addition, a spoonful of honey, which is the main carbohydrate source, provides 65 calories of energy and acts as a fuel for the muscles.

– BLENDING PROCESS

The secret, patience, gift… Anavarza Bal General Manager Can Sezen, who describes honey with these three words, describes the stages that honey goes through until it comes to our table as follows: “As Anavarza; We buy from beekeepers in Adana Kozan, which is the most honey-producing district of Turkey on a district basis, where approximately 2 thousand beekeeper families live. Each tin of honey purchased from the producers enters the facilities at the ARI (Anatolian Research Institute) Food Laboratory of Anavarza Honey after 70 parameters have been checked. This shows that the product has completed the entire analysis process at international standards.

The products that pass through the purchasing process are packaged in the production facility. The honeys prepared in the production facilities contain a blending of Anavarza Honey. This is actually a special process for us that differentiates the taste of honey. The blending process, which is actually called formulation – takes the example of flower honey: Honey is discharged at a certain rate from each flower into a three-ton cauldron. After the mixture, the jar is subjected to sensory analysis without filling it. After that, the production approval is given. Other products (pine, thyme-keven, chestnut, citrus) are not subjected to a certain mixture since their flower is certain honeys. However, a sensory analysis application is carried out during the purchase phase of these honeys. “

– COMBED OR FILTERED?

One of the most curious subjects about honey is the difference between honeycomb honey and strained honey. Can Sezen stated that consuming honey with honeycomb does not have any advantage over filtered honey in terms of human health and says: “We do not find it healthy to consume honey with honey. The reason for this is that the strained honey is obtained from all combs, a homogeneous mixture is formed and analyzed and controlled. In honeycomb honey, it can be said that the analysis of each individual comb is technically difficult and troublesome, even impossible. Therefore, they are not checked. For example, drug residues may remain in the comb and honey can be used in this way if it is not controlled. That’s why we do not recommend. “

– THE ANALYSIS REQUIREMENT FOR GENUINE HONEY

Since honey cannot be distinguished from its color and taste, whether it is real or not, it must be subjected to various analyzes in the laboratory before being presented to the consumer. Many factors can make honey unhealthy, from the presence of beehives on the roadside to the feeding of bees with pesticide flowers. Especially positioning beehives close to the roadside can cause honey to carry heavy metals. It is impossible for even beekeepers to know whether honey contains harmful substances, since the place the bee travels cannot be followed. Contrary to what is known, it is not possible to understand whether honey is natural by burning it. In short, it cannot be understood from the smell, color or fluidity whether honey is real or fake. Honey analysis to be performed by experienced experts in laboratories equipped with advanced technology ensures that real honey is clearly distinguished from counterfeit honey.

Flower honey

Flower honey, honey produced by bees by collecting flower essences. Flower honey is known as table honey. One of the most common types of honey in Turkey. This honey that is not bitter; It is obtained from flowers found in Eastern, Southeastern Anatolia and Taurus Mountains.

CHESTNUT HONEY

Chestnut honey, obtained from chestnut flowers grown in Düzce, Yalova and Kastamonu regions, offers a different taste to honey gourmets with its dark color and strong taste. Standing out with its taste and smell unique to chestnuts, chestnut honey also helps to strengthen the immune system, which falls especially in winter and during seasonal changes.

NARENCIYE HONEY

Citrus honey, obtained from citrus flowers grown in the Mediterranean region, stands out with its light color, clear appearance and fluid consistency that can be dispersed quickly in the mouth. Citrus honey, which helps to increase the resistance of the body, contains the fresh scent of citrus flowers.

PINE HONEY

Pine honey is an exceptional honey that bees produce not from flower pollen, but by using the secretion of an intermediary insect that lives on the trunk of some pine tree species unique to the Mediterranean climate.

KEVEN-THYME HONEY

Produced by bees with pollen taken from keven and thyme flowers, the limelight honey stands out with its feature of being a fast energy store. Derived from flowers around Kayseri, Elazığ, Malatya and Bingöl, keven-thyme honey is known for its light yellow color and distinctive aroma.

Linden Blossom Honey

The linden flower fish, which has a clear appearance and is moderately fluid, has a medium dark color and a distinctive odor and aroma. It has a medium sweet flavor. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth and a burning sensation in the nasal passages. It has high taste retention.

GOAT HONEY (HARNUP) HONEY

It is a type of honey with medium dark color, clear appearance and medium fluidity. It has a unique fragrance and aroma. Its sweetness is moderate in flavor, and taste retention is high. It has a medium consistency and slippery texture.

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