Is Dandelion honey a real honey or in fact a syrup?
Definition (Oxford dictionary)
HONEY - a sweet, sticky yellow-brown substance made by BEES that is spread on bread, etc. like jam
SYRUP - a sweet liquid made from sugar and water, often used in cans of fruit [1]
By dictionary definition honey is made by bees, syrup by humans.
How Dandelion Honey (real honey made by bees) is made?
The moment the honey bee collects the Dandelion nectar, it is mixed with an enzyme within the bees mouth.
The enzyme itself is known as invertase or the “bee enzyme” which is secreted from the bee’s glands.
When the honey bees return to the hive, they will pass the dandelion nectar they have collected between themselves further mixing the nectar with the “bee enzyme”.
This will reduce the water content converting the nectar into honey.
They will then deposit the dandelion honey into wax cells, but at this point, the water content may be too high.
To reduce the water content, the honey bees will fan their wings above the wax cell, this will evaporate some of the water.
Once they’ve finished the process, the dandelion honey will have a water content roughly below 20%.
The wax storage cell will then be capped, and the honey bees will repeat the process all over again.[2]
How syrup is made?
In cooking, a syrup or sirup is a condiment that is a thick, viscous liquid consisting primarily of a solution of sugar in water, containing a large amount of dissolved sugars but showing little tendency to deposit crystals. Its consistency is similar to that of molasses.[3]
So why Dandelion 'honey' is called honey?
Dandelion Honey made by humans, also known as vegan honey (because you are collecting the flowers with pollen instead of exploiting bees to do it for you), is simply a commercial, marketing name given based on having a similar colour and consistency as real honey made by bees.
You might ask why we are not calling it Dandelion syrup?! It would be more accurate because syrup is made by humans.
Well, syrup consistency is more runny than honey therefore we are leaning towards the name 'honey'.
Summary
1. Dandelion honey - If it's made by bees collecting dandelion pollen then its a real name and a real Dandelion honey. It's hard to buy it because bee keepers will not collect it from the hive, they leave it for the colony to feed on after the long winter.
2. Dandelion honey - made by humans is a marketing and commercial name and should really be called syrup. However because of its thick consistency and because its made using pollen it is called honey.
I hope I clarified a bit of this confusion! Enjoy and try to make Dandelion 'honey' yourself. It's really easy, healthy and delicious.
Enjoy! x
You can find the best Dandelion honey recipe here!
You can purchase my DANDELION HONEY AND SYRUP at the One Tree at a time shop in Bozel or you can contact me directly via Dot's Tea messenger.
This offer is only avaiable for local to Bozel drop offs and pick ups.
You can purchase my DOT'S TEAS at the One Tree at a Time shop in Bozel or you can contact me directly via Dot's Tea Facebook page or through the website.
This offer is only available for local to Bozel drop offs and pick ups.
Enjoy!
References