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Honey is the only food that never spoils. Archaeologists have found 3,000-year-old honey in Egyptian tombs that was still edible. Bees produce honey by collecting flower nectar and evaporating it through fanning until its water content drops to around 17%, creating an antimicrobial syrup too concentrated for bacteria to survive in.
Humans have been harvesting wild honey for at least 8,000 years — cave paintings in Spain show honey collection predating agriculture. Honey was the primary sweetener in Europe for millennia before sugar became cheap. Manuka honey from New Zealand is so antibacterial that it's used in medical wound dressings.
# Top 10 Honey facts
- 13,000-year-old honey found in Egyptian tombs was still edible — honey literally never expires
- 2A bee produces only 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime
- 3Manuka honey is so antibacterial it's approved as a medical wound dressing
Fascinating Facts
- ◆3,000-year-old honey found in Egyptian tombs was still edible — honey literally never expires
- ◆A bee produces only 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime
- ◆Manuka honey is so antibacterial it's approved as a medical wound dressing
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