Med

Honey is a natural product obtained by bees processing the nectar of flowering plants (honey plants). It consists of glucose, fructose and a small amount of sucrose. It contains a whole complex of vitamins and microelements. In small quantities, honey contains plant pollen, propolis (glue balm), as well as enzymes secreted by the bee, plus other substances originally present in the nectar of flowers.

Honey has several differences. For example, according to the method of obtaining it from the hive, it is divided into gravity, centrifugal and cellular. In addition, a distinction is made between monofloral honey (monomed) and polyfloral honey (polymed). Monofloral is honey, mainly collected from one plant, by the name of which it is called: linden, buckwheat, acacia, etc. Polyfloral - on the contrary, this is honey collected from several plants at once, and it is called mainly by place collection (taiga, mountain) or simply floral.

Honey can also be light or dark. Light honey includes linden, maple, alfalfa, acacia, and sunflower; dark honey includes buckwheat, cornflower, and heather. Each type of honey has its own unique taste and aroma, as well as unique and healing properties. Although light honey is one of the best varieties, according to some data, dark-colored honey contains more mineral salts, especially iron, copper, and manganese.

Among other things, honey has unique antibacterial properties. Unlike many food products, it never becomes moldy, despite the fact that it contains proteins and carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other substances necessary for the life and development of any living cell. As experiments have shown, mold fungi, which even specifically infect honey, do not live in it (they die).

Due to the excellent organoleptic properties of honey, it is widely used in cooking. The people of all countries of the world have long used the exceptionally valuable nutritional qualities of bee honey to prepare honey drinks and a wide variety of dishes.

According to the recommendations of scientists, the norm for honey consumption for children is 30 g per day. It is very useful to add to dairy products: milk, curdled milk, kefir, cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese curds, as well as to porridge, pancakes, fruits, berries, etc., since it significantly increases their taste and calorie content.

However, bee honey retains its good taste and aroma only when stored in its mature form under strictly defined conditions.

Ripe honey is highly hygroscopic; it can absorb moisture from the air if it exceeds 60%, and, conversely, release its moisture when air humidity is low. An increase in humidity in honey leads to the active action of the yeasts present in it, as a result of which the honey begins to sour and foam. Honey fermentation is especially active at room temperature (11-19 C). Therefore, it is recommended to store honey at a lower temperature (5-10°C) in a clean, ventilated, dry room with air humidity no higher than 60%.

It should also be taken into account that honey easily absorbs the odors of kerosene, herring, ammonia, onions, garlic and other odorous substances with moisture in the air, and therefore it cannot be stored together with such substances or products.

Containers for storing honey should be hygienic and convenient: glass jars of different sizes with tight-fitting lids. It is not recommended to store honey in containers made of iron, zinc, aluminum and copper, since these metals combine with the acids and sugars of honey and can form toxic compounds.

To check the quality of honey, you need to take a tablespoon of honey and quickly swirl it. Good honey is thick, viscous, it does not flow from the spoon, but seems to wrap around it. You can add a couple of drops of iodine to an aqueous solution of honey: if the liquid turns blue, it means that the honey is weighted with flour or starch. If an aqueous solution of honey becomes cloudy when lapis is added to it, the honey is spoiled by sugar.

Semolina pancakes
50 g semolina, 25 g honey, 1/2 egg, 20 g