The story of honey

Honey is a sweet, thick liquid produced by honeybees from nectar—a sugary juice collected from the flowers of melliferous plants—or from honeydew, a sweet secretion produced by certain insects. Bees enrich the collected nectar or honeydew with substances from their own glands, process it, and store it in honeycombs to mature. The secret of producing genuine natural honey lies within the bees themselves, particularly in their digestive systems, while skilled and dedicated beekeepers assist in collecting and preparing this natural remedy, which is irreplaceable in human nutrition.

Honey is a perfect product of nature—it contains nearly all the elements that make up the human body. The nectar and honeydew collected by bees are the main sources of carbohydrates, which bees convert into easily digestible sugars—mainly glucose (grape sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar), which together make up about 75% of honey. Mature honey also contains about 15–20% water. The rest includes minerals, vitamins, enzymes, hormones, organic acids, pollen, inhibins, and flavonoids. The sugars give honey its sweetness, water gives it fluidity, and the other substances provide its unique color, aroma, and flavor.

That honey is both food and medicine was known even to ancient peoples. For example, honey found in ancient Egyptian tombs had retained its properties after thousands of years and was still practically edible. Until about two centuries ago—before the discovery of sugar cane and sugar beet—honey was the only sweetener. Sugar from these industrial plants can be harmful in large quantities, while honey is both nutritionally and medicinally beneficial. Food prepared with honey carries the distinctive taste of a natural product.

Different types of honey are named after the plants from which bees collect nectar or honeydew. Each type of honey is helpful for specific health issues. All honeys stimulate and improve both mental and physical performance, boost the body’s resistance to illness, and strengthen and cleanse the body. They also aid in the healing of wounds and burns, and help reduce scarring. Some types of honey are also used in cosmetics.

Beekeeping in Karlovac County

People in what is now Karlovac County have been engaged in beekeeping since ancient times. The first records of organized beekeeping date back to 1931. The Karlovac Beekeeping Association, with around 120 members, is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. Today, there are six associations operating in Karlovac County with nearly 200 members, ensuring that honey is available in desired quantities to every resident of the county. The town of Ozalj even boasts the first honey tasting room, where visitors can sample honey and honey-based products.