These slices of toast with avocado, banana, and kiwi look yummy, right? They are! With some mascarpone, jam, slices of cheese, and above all some honey, that’s your healthy Sunday breakfast. We are using acacia and linden honeys to deliciously sweeten the toast. The subtle sweetness of acacia honey matches perfectly with light foods while linden honey is a bit minty, it gives an exceptional freshness to the fruits. But let’s go back to the topic: why honey crystallises? Well, all raw honeys crystallise, but some are faster than the others. As a result, over time, they all turn from their liquid/silky form to the solid/creamy form. However, processed honeys (unlike raw honeys) will not crystallise. Keep reading!
RAW HONEY VS PROCESSED HONEY
Rest assured, both are edible. Raw (unpasteurised) honeys are honeys extracted directly from the beehives. They are strained only to get rid of particles like beeswax and some natural pollutants. Most importantly, they are not processed, which is why they have the most nutrients in them.
Processed honeys are pasteurised honeys that are heated to destroy sugar-tolerant yeasts and any pathogens. It’s safer to eat and it extends the shelf life of honey, but at the same time most of the enzymes, vitamins, and minerals will be lost during the heating process.
WHY DOES HONEY CRYSTALLISE?
Honey crystallisation is actually a natural phenomenon that proves that the honey is natural, raw honey turned by bees, without adding any other substances. As this process is a guarantee of naturalness, that’s the kind of pure honey you want.
Honey is composed mainly of two sugars: fructose and glucose, with other substances like water, traces of pollen etc. The proportion of the two sugars are different with different types of honey. Then, some honeys contain more water than the others. The higher amount of glucose, the easier the honey will crystallise. Likewise, the fewer the water in the honey, the faster the crystallisation will take place. That is because the honey gets concentrated and forms crystals over time. This is why the crystallisation of honey happens and why some honeys, like lavender honey which has a high ratio of glucose and low water level, will get cloudy and creamy. Acacia honey, on the other hand, is rich in fructose. It can, thus, be classified as a liquid honey though it will eventually crystallise at a slow pace.
REVERSING THE HONEY CRYSTALLISATION
First of all, by keeping the honey in a warm place, you can delay the crystallisation process. But if it does get crystallised, the most non-harmful way to reverse the crystallised honey is to warm the jar in a bain-marie (water bath) at about 40 degrees (which is actually the temperature of a hive) until it becomes liquid again (which might take around 15 minutes). It takes a little patience, but this way you get to enjoy its smooth and silky texture again, without degrading its nutritional qualities.
That’s it! If honey interests you, you can check out these two French honey brands: Hédène and Bleu Blanc Ruche. If you are a natural honey lover like Winnie the Pooh or want to have some authentic and nutritious honey toast, here are also some for you:
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