Citrus honey. Useful properties of orange honey How to choose a quality product

Orange honey is one of the rarest and most amazing varieties. Its uniqueness is expressed not only in its taste, but also in its medicinal properties. This is truly a find for gourmets! And the reason for its sour taste and revitalizing aroma is that from April to May, bees work, collecting pollen from flowering orange, tangerine and lemon trees, from which this species is subsequently obtained. It is the citrus flavor that distinguishes it from other varieties.

If we are accustomed to seeing these fruits on our table even in winter, since they are grown in eternally warm regions, then orange honey, made from pollen from the flowers of these fruit trees, is quite a rare occurrence.

Orange honey is most often polyfloral - collected immediately from different types of honey plants, and not from one separately.

In some cases, if other honey crops grow in the neighborhood, the taste can change. For example, if a flowering chestnut tree grows nearby, the taste will be more tart with a slight bitterness.

Calorie table

Compound

The composition is replete with micro and macroelements, vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants.

It also contains a large amount of minerals. Their list depends on the area where the trees grow. The darker the color of honey, the richer it is in minerals.

This honey contains large amounts of:

Vitamin C (necessary for the health of organs and all tissues such as skin, bones and blood vessels);
B3 (participates in the normalization of cholesterol in the blood, and is also necessary for protein metabolism, strengthens heart function and has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system);
B5 (helps in the production of energy by cells, regulates intestinal function, helps the body absorb other vitamins);
B2 (participates in the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, strengthens the immune system and the body’s defense mechanisms, accelerates the healing of damaged tissues);
B9 (affects the development of all tissues, stabilizes the emotional background, has a good effect on the development of the circulatory system).

Good news for those with a sweet tooth - 100 g contains:

Fructose: 38.7 - 41.3 g
Glucose: 31.4-33.5 g
Sucrose: 1.2 g

Which means that you can freely replace eating sweets with a few spoons of honey for breakfast, lunch and a little for dinner, and this will only benefit your body! After all, fructose is called “harmless sugar.”

Medicinal properties

The orange variety is very rich in substances with antioxidant properties; it is good to use for colds, coughs or flu. Has an anti-inflammatory effect. In the autumn-winter time, a very popular recipe for mixing honey with various dried fruits or nuts is, first of all, an excellent delicacy and medicine that helps eliminate vitamin deficiency, fights the manifestations of autumn depression and loss of mood and strength.

Advice! Doctors advise drinking a glass of warm water with a spoon of honey, and you can also eat a slice of lemon in the morning. This will ensure good metabolism and appetite, and will help remove toxins from the body.

If someone suffers from insomnia, apathy, panic attacks, or life is filled with stress and nervous tension, the best healer is orange honey.

It is used during rehabilitation in the postoperative period.

Research has shown that citrus honey is 100% antibacterial and is sometimes used against staph and bacterial strains.

Due to its antibacterial properties, honey is often used to heal wounds.

As mentioned above, citrus honey has a beneficial effect on sleep due to the stabilization of sugars in the body, as well as the release of melatonin (a substance that is produced in the human body and is responsible for normal sleep).
Popularly, this variety is often given to children to prevent and combat various intestinal diseases, dystrophy and diseases of the nervous system. Besides, children are always happy about this delicacy!

Recipe using orange honey for colds:

1 glass of viburnum fruits is filled with 1 liter of water. Boil for 10-15 minutes, strain, then add 3 tbsp. spoons of honey. Take half a glass 3-4 times a day.
Honey and horseradish juice are mixed in equal quantities and taken 2-3 times a day, 1 tbsp. spoon.
Take 100 g of orange honey and the juice of one medium lemon. Take the medicine 1 tbsp. spoon before bed in combination with hot herbal tea.

Taste and use in cooking

The taste properties of orange honey are amazing and unique! It is unlikely that anyone who has tried citrus honey will be able to confuse it with any other. When purchasing, you will definitely recognize it among many others by its sour taste, sunny yellow color, citrus aroma and aftertaste.

There are many recipes that include orange honey. It is quite popular in the culinary industry. Most often, people prefer it as a sugar substitute.

Before adding any honey to a hot drink, you need to wait, because when it is added to boiling water, carcinogenic substances are released.

Very often, honey serves as a sweetener in baked goods, and in small quantities it harmoniously complements salads; sometimes it is added to porridges. The uniqueness of honey is that, due to its natural moisturizing property, it does not allow cookies or buns to dry out and prevents mold.

And of course, its taste makes the dish exotic and piquant. Orange honey can serve as an excellent dressing for fruit salad, it can also be added to yogurt, sour cream and ice cream, and make a delicious honey cream.

Shortbread recipe

Shortbread dough is prepared according to any recipe you like, but instead of sugar, citrus honey is added, as well as tangerine, orange or lemon zest to suit your taste. The dough layer is rolled out until thin, and then the finished cookie molds are cut out of the rolled dough (can be cut using a glass or cup).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cookies there. Cookies are baked at a temperature of 200-250 degrees. Once it turns golden brown, you can remove it from the oven.

Dosage

Daily use of bitter orange product in food has a beneficial effect on physical and mental health.

Adult dosage - 1.5 tablespoons per day, for children - ¼ teaspoon.

Contraindications

It must be remembered that those who suffer from allergic intolerance to honey products should be careful and picky in their use. It is not recommended for pregnant women and people with diabetes; it is also not recommended for overweight people, as it is a very high-calorie product.

From this follows a list of diseases for which the use of orange honey is undesirable:

diabetes;
allergic intolerance to honey products.

Selection and storage

It can and preferably be stored at room temperature. Although it is difficult to find and buy orange honey, when purchasing it is important to pay attention to the fact that the honey has not been pasteurized. Pasteurized honey, although it takes longer to crystallize, loses its beneficial properties.

The only disadvantage this type has is that over time the unique citrus shade and aroma are lost. For example, after a year, honey may “fizzle out” and be completely different from any other.

How to distinguish an orange from a fake?

It would be better to buy such honey in countries where there are fruit plantations of tangerine, orange, and grapefruit trees and where the product is originally produced.

In this case - in Abkhazia, Georgia or Crimea, because often imported honey products are subjected to heat treatment and there is absolutely no benefit left in it, but if you had to take honey from a country other than the country where it was produced, then it is important to study the history of the product and take it from a trusted seller .

When purchasing honey, it is best to avoid stores. Orange honey can be found at the market or at a fair dedicated to honey products. Counterfeits are bright in color, have an unnatural, synthetic citrus smell and unnatural color and taste, sometimes too cloying and tart.

Price and features

The price of real honey ranges from 400-500 rubles per 500 g. It is tangerine honey from Abkhazia that is most valuable because it is one of the first to appear on the shelves. The hot climate causes the region's honey plants to ripen and bloom as early as May.

One of the main secrets of Abkhazian honey is a special type of bees. Abkhazian bees (bees that collect nectar from the fruit plantations of Abkhazia) are more efficient than others, and are also famous for their peaceful disposition.

Orange as a plant

Pomeranian - what is it? Orange as a plant is a short tree with flattened fruits that look like an orange.

The flowering of the tree begins in April and lasts exactly a month, during which the bees manage to collect enough nectar so that already in May orange honey is on the shelves of shops and private shops.

Orange leaves are a huge reservoir of essential oil. The stems and branches contain essential oils such as orange, neroli, etc. The fruits ripen in December-January. They have a bright orange color and a bitter taste.

Origin story

In the 11th century, the plant was brought by the Arabs to Turkey, Greece and some other Mediterranean countries. In Ancient Greece, the orange flower was considered the personification of girlish innocence and chastity. The interior was decorated with tree flowers; the presence of such flowers in the house meant that prosperity and wealth reigned in the family. In Ancient Greece and Rome, a girl decorated her hair with a wreath of orange on her wedding day.

In ancient Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia, the fruits served as the basis for preparing various oriental sweets.

In Europe, the plant began to be used in the manufacture of perfumes and perfumes.

Description

The medicinal properties of this plant are well known to people who grow it on plantations in the Mediterranean and Caucasus. Even just the aroma of orange fruit can have an anti-stress and calming effect. The medicinal sap of the tree is used to gargle and is also a choleretic agent. Sometimes used as a hangover reliever.

Recipes based on orange zest

For stress and nervous excitability

The zest of the fruit is poured with boiling water. You can add other medicinal herbs that have a calming effect. These can be: lemon balm, thyme, mint, linden, etc. The drink is set for 6-8 hours. Has a calming effect.

For a good sleep

Pour boiling water over 20 grams of orange and several rose hips and let steep for 10-15 minutes, then strain and drink tea before bed.

Rub solution for injuries

Finely grated orange peel (about 50 g) pour in about 100 g of vodka and leave for 14 days in a dark place. The resulting solution has an excellent effect when rubbing injuries and bruises.

You can talk a lot and for a long time about the advantages of orange honey and the orange plant itself, but it’s best to taste it yourself!

For many people, orange honey is a little known variety of honey. It can sometimes be found at honey fairs under the name citrus. Both names will be correct. This honey is collected from the flowers of orange, tangerine, lemon, grapefruit and other citrus plants. These fruit trees usually grow nearby and it is very difficult to separate a purely monofloral type of honey.

There are, of course, large plantations of these trees, where you can collect each type of honey separately. But in our country it is difficult to do this. Therefore, most often such honey is considered not monofloral, but polyfloral and is combined under one common name: citrus or orange honey.

Orange honey composition and properties

The flowers of these plants are very attractive to bees, and they willingly visit them, collecting fragrant nectar. The honey tastes with a slightly perceptible citrus flavor and aroma. Sweetness – medium with subtle sourness, without bitterness.

The color of fresh honey is light yellow. When crystallized, it becomes white and has a paste-like consistency, in which honey crystals are practically not felt.

Like all other types of honey, citrus honey contains:

Trace amounts of minerals such as calcium, zinc, boron, manganese, copper, potassium, sodium, magnesium, selenium;

Vitamins;

Sugars: fructose and glucose;

Antioxidant compounds;

Amino acids;

The amount of minerals depends on the area where the citrus trees grow. The darker the honey, the more mineral compounds it contains.

As for vitamins, it contains a higher content of B3, B5, B2, B9, and vitamin C.

Citrus honey has a low diastase number, which ranges from 9.6-12.5.

100 grams of honey contains:

Fructose 38.7 – 41.3 grams;

Glucose 31.4-33.5 grams

Sucrose – 1.2 grams.

Ratio:

Fructose + glucose – 70.1-73.6 grams;

Fructose/glucose 1.24-1.36.

Orange honey contains no fat or cholesterol.

Honey crystallizes slowly and stays liquid for a long time. Like any other honey, this honey is high in calories: one tablespoon contains 64 calories.

Beneficial properties of orange honey

The minerals present in it help maintain electrolyte balance in the body. Sugars, which are mainly fructose and glucose, serve as a good source of energy.

Although this type of honey does not have strong antioxidant activity, it does contain substances with antioxidant properties. Therefore, we can say about anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties and it can be eaten for colds, coughs, and flu.

Studies have shown that citrus honey has strong antibacterial activity and can act against bacterial strains of staphylococcus and E. Coli.

Honey promotes faster wound healing due to its antibacterial properties and sugar content. Antibacterial properties affect pathogenic microflora, while sugars absorb moisture, which promotes healing.

Honey has a beneficial effect on sleep, mainly because it stabilizes blood sugar levels and promotes the release of melatonin, a hormone that is essential for normal sleep.

One study found that orange honey may be beneficial for alcohol intoxication. On average, it increases the rate of removal of ethanol from the blood and reduces the period of intoxication.

In folk medicine, this honey is often used for various intestinal diseases and nervous overexcitation.

Use in cooking

Orange honey can be used as a substitute for sugar in tea and other drinks. It improves the taste of salads and is added to porridge.

When cooking meat, especially poultry and pork, you can glaze it to make the meat even more delicious.

The mild taste of this honey also makes baked goods delicious. Therefore, it can be an excellent substitute for sugar in baking. Another advantage of citrus honey is that it gives not only a unique taste and aroma to the product, but also preserves its freshness longer. The natural moisture of honey prevents mold and prevents buns or cookies from drying out quickly.

It goes well with cheese, added to yogurt, ice cream, and fruit salads.

Orange honey harm and contraindications

Despite the fact that this honey has a lower glycemic index compared to some other types of honey, diabetic patients still need to have some caution when consuming it. Be sure to consult with your doctor about the advisability of including citrus honey in your menu and how much honey you can eat.

In addition, people who are overweight also need to limit their consumption, keeping in mind its calorie content.

It is contraindicated for people with individual intolerance to bee products.

How to select and store honey

When purchasing, you should give preference to honey that has not been pasteurized. Pasteurized honey does not crystallize longer, but some beneficial substances are lost.

It can be stored at room temperature. Although there are recommendations for storage at temperatures above 5 degrees.

The disadvantages of this honey include the fact that over time it loses its aroma, which is provided by terpene compounds. After a year, you may not feel the citrus aroma at all.

It is easy to distinguish orange honey from a fake. You definitely need to smell it and taste it. There must be a hint of citrus aroma and a citrus aftertaste. If this is not the case, then perhaps the honey has been stored for a long time or has nothing to do with orange honey at all.

Honey plant: orange tree flowers

Orange honey is honey collected by bees from the flowers of an orange tree, on which oranges then ripen :)

Orange honey, which is described below and presented in our store, is natural flower honey without additives or flavoring.

The flowers of the orange tree are very honey-bearing, which allows large harvests of orange honey to be harvested wherever oranges are cultivated. You can find orange honey in all orange-producing countries - from Israel, Turkey to the USA and China. You can buy Italian orange honey in our store

Description of orange blossom honey

Orange blossom honey is discreetly sweet with a light, fresh orange aroma. Over time, the aroma opens up, enriches with fruity notes, and the honey itself acquires the taste of marmalade with a slight lemon sourness.

The color of freshly harvested honey varies from amber to almost white. Over time, the honey darkens a little and crystallizes into granules of different sizes.

Geography of orange honey

Citrus trees were originally cultivated in Southeast Asia, from where Arabs brought them to Africa and Spain, and Spanish settlers to America, Florida.

Nowadays, orange tree honey is common in many European countries and the USA: in Portugal it is called Mel de flor de laranjeira, in Spain - Miel de azahar, in Italy - Miele di arancio, in France - Miel de fleur d'oranger ( or Miel d'oranger; Miel de Mandarinier), in Greece - μέλι πορτοκαλιού, in Germany - Orangenblüten Honig, in the USA - Orange Blossom Honey.

Citrus trees bloom almost simultaneously, so when people talk about orange blossom honey, they often mean a mixture of nectars from orange, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, lime and other citrus fruits growing in the region. For example, in the USA, in Florida, this type of mixed honey is common.

However, in Italy the name of honey is very scrupulous and, if the proportion of nectar from other trees is high enough to affect the taste and color, the honey is called not orange, but citrus (Miele di agrumi). Classic orange blossom honey can be tasted in Sicily, where the main source of nectar is the sweet orange (C. sinensis), or in Corsica, where the main source of nectar is the clementine, also known as the Navel orange or the Italian mandarin (C. reticulata).

To qualify as orange honey, honey must contain at least 20% pollen from this plant. It may seem that 20% is very little, but it must be borne in mind that a small amount of pollen is a distinctive feature of the flowers of citrus trees. The proportion of orange nectar in honey will be significantly higher. Modern beekeepers suggest using not the amount of pollen, but the content of the ester and flavonoid hesperidin as a measure of purity for citrus honey.

Properties of orange honey

A unique feature of orange honey is the presence of caffeine in it. But don't worry: 4 mg/kg of honey is less than decaffeinated coffee. On the contrary, doctors recommend adding orange blossom honey to herbal teas to treat insomnia and also reduce nervousness. In addition, orange blossom honey is extremely rich in microelements. At the University of Seville, minerals such as zinc, boron, manganese, magnesium, calcium, selenium, copper, potassium and sodium and others were discovered in its composition.

Another interesting property is the effect on ethanol metabolism. Orange honey can be recommended to mitigate the effects of alcohol intoxication.

Some varieties of honey have been familiar to us since childhood: flower, linden, buckwheat. However, there are also exotic varieties that we may not have heard of. One of the best is orange honey. Bees collect it from citrus trees in bloom. This unusual delicacy is made from the nectar of tangerine, lemon and orange flowers.

Bees collect orange honey during the flowering of citrus trees.

About honey

Orange honey is yellow or brown. In liquid form it is dark or light orange, then it becomes lighter, creamy in color, sometimes almost white or light yellow. Its aroma is striking, similar to the smell of flowering citrus trees. Its taste is also different. Sometimes it's a gentle sourness, other times it's a tart flavor with a hint of bitterness. It depends on the time of collection and on what trees grew nearby (flowering chestnuts). It is popular in countries where citrus fruits grow.

Store it in glass or porcelain containers, preferably where it is cold and dry. If it is too warm or humid, it will either sour or become sugary. If orange honey is stored correctly (refrigerator, underground), its beneficial properties will not disappear even after 1-2 years.

Beneficial features

Orange honey is popular because of its taste, aroma, and because it has beneficial properties. This is a general strengthening, therapeutic agent that can also be used to prevent diseases. Orange honey:

has a beneficial effect on digestion;
after a spoonful of treats, appetite appears;
will help those who suffer from constipation;
increases the secretion of bile;
contains a lot of magnesium, copper, many amino acids.

Orange honey is popular due to its beneficial properties.

All these beneficial properties make it popular among those who monitor their health. Orange honey is recommended for pregnant women, as it is a good source of vitamins and other essential substances that the expectant mother needs at this moment. In addition, it also has medicinal properties, so in folk medicine it is used for the following diseases:

anemia;
gastrointestinal tract, digestion;
exhaustion;
of cardio-vascular system;
if you have a cough or cold.

This is not the entire list of diseases for which the medicinal properties of honey could help. It is eaten for tuberculosis, varicose veins, scurvy, even hemorrhoids. Its beneficial properties help not only adults, but also children. After such treatment, metabolism stabilizes, intestinal function and digestion improve.

How to take this honey correctly so that its medicinal properties are revealed? If you want to improve digestion, then eat a little (1-2 tsp) half an hour before meals. To treat pulmonary diseases or to calm the nervous system, dilute 0.5 tsp. treats in 1 tbsp. warm milk and drink in the evening. Despite its medicinal properties, you shouldn’t get carried away with it either. An adult should not eat more than 1.5 tbsp per day. l. honey, and a quarter teaspoon is enough for a child.

Honey - in addition to the fact that it is the source of all health, it is also a powerful seasoning, comparable in the complexity of the organization of aroma and taste to symphonic music. You can never mix anything like this and so organically in any blender, even if you have all the spices in the world at your disposal.

Orange honey

Orange honey, or orange blossom honey, is most often a product of processing the nectar of several citrus fruits at once: oranges, grapefruits, lemons and even limes - and very rarely only oranges. Citrus trees bloom in March and April, and their nectar produces light amber honey with an excellent confectionery aroma.

Buckwheat honey

High-grade buckwheat honey has an intense dark brown color, a sharp spicy aroma and a taste that cannot be confused with any other honey: deep and noble, with caramel notes. It has one drawback - it crystallizes quickly.

clover honey

High-grade clover honey is found in two varieties: white-clover - almost white in liquid form, in crystallized form it looks like lard with a delicate texture and consistency - and red-clover, red-yellow in color. This honey has a noble floral smell, produced by the Austrian company D’arbo.

Lavender honey

Lavender is one of the most fragrant varieties of honey and, in addition, has a phenomenal number of medicinal properties. This honey is transparent, with a slightly golden tint; it is good to add to desserts, dressings and sauces.

Linden honey

Linden is a transparent honey of light yellow or amber color, fragrant, with a pronounced taste and sometimes bitterness. Good linden honey is made in Bashkiria.

Acacia honey

Acacia honey is light, transparent, sometimes with a slight greenish tint (the color, in particular, depends on the type of acacia - white or yellow). This honey has a delicate taste without bitterness, a light aroma, and it crystallizes slowly, as it contains a large amount of fructose.

Honeycomb

Honeycombs can be bought at any honey bazaar or market, and you can also look for jars of honey and honeycomb fragments in regular grocery stores - such, for example, are often found in the Azbuka Vkusa supermarket chain. Honeycombs can be eaten simply as a finished dessert, or used for decorative purposes.

Transparent honey

Transparent means freshly collected liquid honey that has not had time to crystallize. Each type of honey crystallizes at a different time, becoming cloudy and hard, like burnt sugar. Good transparent honey can have different shades - depending, again, on the variety, from almost colorless to dark brown. A good transparent honey is linden honey, sold in most supermarkets.

Flower honey

Honey from the nectar of various flowering plants usually has a bright aroma and characteristic taste, which depend on the properties of the specific plants from which the nectar was actually collected - while, of course, flower honey obtained from one specific plant is always more valued than from several different ones. Good flower honey - such as lavender - can subjugate the tastes and aromas of other ingredients in dishes, so it should be used with caution.