Our quest is for diverse, indigenous cuisine brought by the many ethnic people to St. Maarten from all over the world. We have done well and covered many ethnic groups – not all yet by any means – we have had some input about wines; we have covered high-days and holidays and we have looked at individual foods, resolutions and certain celebrations.
Honey is of interest this week. We can get lovely, fresh SXM honey if we are lucky!
The following says it so well:
What is honey?
By Dick Paetzke
Much more than it seems to be I think.
Aristotle called it the nectar of the gods. And 2400 years ago, the prophet Isaiah said the Messiah would come eating honey so he might grow up knowing what was good.
Honey is certainly more than a simple jar sitting solidly on a grocery shelf.
It is the soul of a field of flowers.
It is a child with a sticky piece of toast learning that suddenly fingers taste good.
It is an unforgettable bear named Pooh pursuing a sweet obsession in a book a long time ago.
It is a going away gift for a Pharaoh on a journey into the hereafter – as everlasting as the gold ornaments that accompanied it.
Honey is Sunday breakfast with funnies and waffles and plates you’ll clean up later.
It’s the only justification you can think of for sweet potatoes – and still a good reason to lick your knife (when you’re alone).
It’s school days and paper sacks and thank goodness it’s not egg salad again.
In a world of fast foods and non-dairy creamer and artificial ingredients, it’s the little plastic cup full of gold that somehow got overlooked when “progress” passed through.
Honey is the chapter they forgot to write in the book called “In Pursuit of Excellence.” Yet its making is a marvellous work of nature that makes the best factories of man look disorganized, lazy and of very little real value.
Honey is the glow of beauty on the faces of striking women.
The touch of healing in a thousand remedies around the earth.
It is sweetness and life and its golden touch enhances our days from their beginning to the very end. And when at last the years have streaked our hair with grey and phrases like “darling” and “lambie pie” don’t fit anymore, it is the one expression of pure affection that never wears out between us, “Honey, I love you.”
Because honey is indeed synonymous with love itself. A beautiful blessing created in a mysterious way.
An expression of love and a special gift to man.
History of honey
It is hard to say exactly how long honey has been popular with us people because it has been around since as far back as we can record. Cave paintings in Spain from 7000BC show the earliest records of beekeeping, however, fossils of honey bees date back about 150 million years! Its magical properties and versatility have given honey a significant part in history.
Honey bees collect nectar from flowering plants and use it to make honey. Honey is then collected from the beehives, by beekeepers. The cultivation of honey naturally supports a healthy and thriving ecosystem through biodiversity and crop pollination, making it an art and science unto itself. The earliest record of keeping bees in hives was found in the sun temple erected in 2400BC near Cairo. The bee featured frequently in Egyptian hieroglyphs and, being favoured by the pharaohs, often symbolized royalty. The ancient Egyptians used honey as a sweetener, as a gift to their gods and even as an ingredient in embalming fluid. Honey cakes were baked by the Egyptians and used as an offering to placate the gods. Beekeepers have a close-knit relationship with their bees, from the collecting of nectar to the extracting of honey from honeycombs for filtering and finally bottling.
The Greeks also made honey cakes and offered them to the gods. The Greeks viewed honey as not only an important food, but also as a healing medicine. Greek recipe books were full of sweetmeats and cakes made from honey. Cheeses were mixed with honey to make cheesecakes, described by Euripides in the fifth century BC as being “steeped most thoroughly in the rich honey of the golden bee.”
The Romans also used honey as a gift to the gods and they used it extensively in cooking. Beekeeping flourished throughout the Roman Empire. Once Christianity was established, honey and beeswax production increased greatly to meet the demand for church candles. Honey continued to be of importance in Europe until the Renaissance, when the arrival of sugar from further afield meant honey was used less. By the 17th century, sugar was being used regularly as a sweetener and honey was used even less.
As bees were thought to have special powers, they were often used as emblems:
Pope Urban VIII used the bee as his emblem.
The bee was the sign of the king of Lower Egypt during the First Dynasty (3,200BC).
Napoleon’s flag carried a single line of bees in flight, and his robe was embroidered with bees.
In the third century BC, the bee was the emblem used on coins in the Greek city of Ephesus.
The bee was the symbol of the Greek goddess Artemis.
The bee was the emblem of Eros/Cupid.
Honey
Raw honey, often referred to as “liquid gold,” has highly therapeutic antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral, antiseptic, anti-aging and anticancer properties. Raw honey is not filtered, strained, or heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit, it provides far more benefits than regular honey as it is full of active enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that are vital for keeping the body healthy and for preventing illness and disease.
Raw honey contains vitamins such as B-complex and Vitamin C as well as minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc. Raw honey has the power to strengthen the immune system, promote digestive health, reduce throat irritation, stabilize blood pressure, calm nerves, relieve morning sickness, balance blood sugar, heal ulcers, purify the blood, fight off colds and flu, soothe sore throats and laryngitis, and flush the kidneys.
Raw honey is also great for digestion as it contains probiotics that help to keep the beneficial bacteria in the gut healthy and strong. Raw honey also functions as an expectorant and is known to benefit respiratory conditions such as bronchitis and asthma. Raw honey promotes restorative sleep and can aid in healing and rebuilding the body during the night.
Raw honey is hygroscopic, which means it draws all the moisture out of germs which ultimately kill them. This is why raw honey is an excellent first aid cream and can be applied externally, like a natural Neosporin, to cuts, abrasions, rashes, and sores to keep the wounds sterile and quicken the healing process.
Consider adding a teaspoon of raw honey to your lemon water and/or herbal tea every day. It provides instant energy and great health benefits which can give you a much needed boost to your daily health routine.
Recipes
Goat Cheese Spread with honey and lemon
Ingredients
8 oz fresh goat cheese
4 tbl honey
3 tbl low-fat Greek yogurt
2 tbl extra-virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic, grated
1 tap lemon zest
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Pinch coarse salt
1 tsp fresh thyme, lavender or other herb that matches the herb in the honey
Method
Place goat cheese in food processor.
Add 2 tbl honey, yogurt, olive oil, garlic, some lemon zest and black pepper, salt.
Pulse until well blended.
Transfer to a small serving bowl, smooth the top.
Sprinkle the spread with remaining lemon zest and black pepper.
Drizzle with remaining 2 tbl honey, sprinkle with the fresh herb.
Serve with crackers or crostini.
Honey, Chipotle BBQ Sauce for Ribs – Try this on chicken or salmon too.
Ingredients
For sauce:
1 cup honey
1 cup ketchup
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbl soy sauce or tamari
2 canned chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, chopped
2 tbl adobo sauce from can chillies
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fresh garlic, grated
1 tsp coarse salt
For ribs:
2 racks baby back ribs
Coarse salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Method
Sauce - place honey, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, chipotles, adobo sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic, and salt in a small saucepan.
Heat until simmering.
Cook uncovered 5 minutes, cool.
Season ribs both sides with salt and black pepper, rub in.
Place ribs in a zip-lock bag, add cooled sauce, turn bag so sauce goes over all ribs.
Refrigerate 4 to 24 hours.
Preheat oven 350° F.
Line large roasting sheet pan with foil.
Fit rack in pan, place ribs on rack.
Pour sauce into saucepan heat gently 5 minutes.
Brush ribs with sauce.
Roast ribs 1½ to 2 hours, basting lightly, turning every 20 minutes.
Ribs can be made ahead.
When ready to BBQ or oven grill, preheat broiler or grill.
Brush ribs with sauce, broil until browned and bubbly.
Heat leftover sauce and serve on the side.
