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Saturday, August 17, 2019
How Did Fudge Become a Staple of Tourist Towns?
Along with the usual glut of novelty magnets, key chains, t-shirts, and shot glasses at any given tourist stop, you’ll probably also find fudge. Like salt water taffy, it’s become a staple of coastal candy shops in particular, but it’s also made its way inland, and is advertised in nearly every vacation spot in America. Why is that?
There are a few reasons, but before we get into them, let’s go over a brief history of fudge itself. It’s surprisingly mysterious, in that no one knows exactly who invented it, or when—but the oft-repeated theory is that it was a mistake.
The Meaning of Fudge (& Fadge)
The word “fudge” existed before the candy that would be so named, and since at least the early 1800s, has been used to mean nonsense or to express annoyance (its technical definition was “to fit together in a clumsy or underhand manner”).
Chocolate caramels have been around since the 1860s; they were quite similar to fudge (see the recipe in this 1870 cookbook from Maryland, for instance), though not identical. Speculation says the soft, rich confection we know today may have been the result of a bungled batch of caramel, with the candy being creamy and crumbly instead of slick and chewy thanks to the unintended formation of tiny sugar crystals, perhaps from stirring one too many times.
Chowhound’s Easy Mocha Fudge
The unexpected outcome may have caused the candy maker to say, “Oh, fudge!”—but once they tasted it, they would have known what a happy accident it was. (Unless, of course, they did it on purpose, in which case, their original records and recipe have never been discovered. “The Oxford English Dictionary” suggests the culinary term fudge may have come from an older word “fadge,” meaning simply “to fit together,” or even “to turn out well,” which would suggest intent rather than accident, but the other story is better and more widely distributed. Incidentally, there is an Irish potato bread called fadge that has no relation or resemblance to the confection fudge—but mashed potato fudge does exist; still, it’s clearly an outlier.)
Fudge Was Once a Hot College Fad
In any case, creamy chocolate fudge really took off thanks to Poughkeepsie, New York’s Vassar College, where making it was a certifiable fad. It started with student Emelyn Battersby Hartridge, who made 30 pounds of the stuff for Vassar’s senior auction of 1888. She reported getting her recipe from a classmate’s cousin who had been selling fudge in Baltimore since 1886, and this is the commonly accepted first proof of fudge (although Florida’s Gulf Coast Fudge Co. claims to make their namesake sweet from a recipe unchanged since 1837)…
Regardless of where (and when) it originated, other Vassar students eagerly took up the tradition of making fudge, cooking it right over the gas lamps in their dorm rooms.
Early Vassar dorm with gas-fed table lamp (for studying and cooking fudge), via Vassar College Digital Library
Yesterdish.com chronicles how the popularity of “Vassar Fudge” spread to other colleges, and then to wider audiences throughout the country via newspaper pieces and reprinted recipes.
The Emergence of Entrepreneurial Fudge: Special, Sweet Spectacle
In short order, entrepreneurs latched onto fudge as an obvious money-maker—sweets have always sold, and fudge can be finicky to make at home (especially if you’re not using corn syrup or condensed milk for “foolproof” fudge), so it would have made sense to hawk it in various locations, but its rise in popularity happened to coincide with the emergence of American tourism.
Fudge showed up everywhere there were likely to be crowds—with people on vacation apt to be feeling extra indulgent, hence more likely to buy sweets. (At the time, candy in general was considered more of a special occasion treat anyway, not something to mindlessly grab at the grocer’s, and what could be more special than a holiday?) Fudge travels remarkably well compared to more delicate chocolates, which probably also accounts for its strong showing in vacation spots and status as a classic souvenir item.
Related Reading: Why Grocery Shopping Is the Best Food Tour
It helped that making large batches of fudge involved an element of spectacle too; massive copper kettles were used to boil the sugar and other ingredients, and then the vats of molten chocolate candy were poured out onto broad marble slabs and pushed around the surface with long-handled trowels to hasten the cooling process and shape the fudge before slicing. National Geographic describes a 1901 pamphlet written for professional confectioners, which says “people will stop to see almost anything done…especially if the performance requires some particular knowledge.”
Fresh vanilla fudge with boiling copper kettle in background, via Joann’s Fudge/Facebook
If they stopped to watch the fudge being made, they’d probably step in to buy some, too. (Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory relied on this truth to resounding success, even though they didn’t get into the game until 1981.) To increase their chances of a sale, candy shops commonly used fans to waft the intoxicating scent of sugar, butter, and chocolate outside as well, a trick that’s still employed today, if in sneakier forms.
Fudge shops were established in spots like Niagara Falls and Atlantic City, N.J. by the late 1880s, and one destination, Mackinac Island, Mich., still bills itself as not only a quaint tourist destination (the entire island is registered as a National Historic Landmark and cars are banned), but as “America’s Fudge Capital.” There’s an annual Mackinac Island Fudge Festival—from August 23-25 in 2019—and tourists there are known as “fudgies.” The oldest candy shop on the island is Murdick’s, which opened in 1887 and is still in business today, but there are plenty of other shops on Mackinac where you can pick up a sweet souvenir.
Chowhound’s Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
And you’ll be sure to find fudge as far afield as west coast beach towns and even in England, because it’s still considered an indulgent treat perfectly suited to vacation—but it also has old-fashioned appeal that plucks a nostalgic chord in many hearts. It hearkens back not just to other vacations but to centuries past.
So now, whether strolling down a boardwalk or exploring a historic main street from Mystic, Conn. to Port Townsend, Wash., “Oh, fudge!” is likely to be something you’ll utter with pure delight.
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The Ultimate Guide to Peppers
This is a partial field guide to peppers. With upwards of 2,000 kinds of chile peppers in the world, it’s hard to catch ’em all, but we delved in and picked a peck: 19 of our favorite peppers, from familiar jalapeno and serrano to more boutique Hungarian pimenton and guindilla verde.
Chile peppers are like people: It takes all kinds. Some are sweet, and others burn you (you’ll notice the absence of ghost peppers and Carolina reapers from our list, since they’re more in the realm of “stunt peppers” than regular food ingredient, at least for most folks; that doesn’t mean we don’t love them too, if only from a distance). The more you get to know them, the better you can discern the differences in personality and choose the one to suit your mood.
Related Reading: What Is the Difference Between Sweet & Hot Peppers (Besides the Obvious)?
Possibly originating from South America, chile peppers have been cultivated all over the world for centuries, leading to a wide variety of species with different colors, shapes, flavors, and, of course, spiciness, though most all of them fall into five families (Capsicum annuum, Capsicum baccatum, Capsicum chinense, Capsicum frutescens, and Capsicum pubescens).
In 2011, we consulted pepper expert and grower David Winsberg from Northern California’s Happy Quail Farms to put together a chart of some common peppers as well as a few less common varieties that were becoming more widely available in the United States thanks to specialty growers like Winsberg. Average size and hotness scale (from 1 to 5) included. And, of course, plenty of pepper recipes so you can put your knowledge to good use.
Related Reading: The Best Gifts for Hot Pepper Obsessives
1. Poblano Pepper (a.k.a. Ancho Chile)
Average Size: About 4 to 5 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 2 to 3
A good, easy-to-find grilling pepper that’s ideal for stuffing to make chiles rellenos with a kick of heat (but another classic use is in Mexican rajas). Poblanos get fairly big and are usually sold fresh, while they are younger and dark green. At their red, mature stage they are usually dried (and in their dried form they are called ancho chiles). Their skin is easy to blister and peel. Winsberg says they have a good flavor, with enough heat to be zesty but not scorch anyone.
2. Guindilla Verde
Average Size: About 6 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 1
From the Basque area in Spain, this is a tender pepper with a distinct sweetness. The variety shown is from the Bilbao region, and Winsberg says it’s a good fryer served alongside meat like lamb or pork. It shouldn’t be confused with the more widely available jarred guindillas. Winsberg says guindilla is a name applied to several distinct regional varieties in Spain ranging from marble-size scorchers to these sweet large fryers, which he says are similar in flavor to a Hatch chile but without the heat.
3. Chilaca (a.k.a. Pasilla Chile)
Average Size: About 7 to 9 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 2 to 3
This is a Mexican variety that matures from dark green to dark chocolate brown. It’s a versatile pepper that’s good for sauces, roasting, and grilling when fresh, says Winsberg. Chilacas are medium hot but “not so much that they are scary.” When dried, they are called pasillas and are common in mole recipes; pasillas (also known as chiles negros) are available both whole and powdered.
4. Basque Fryer (a.k.a. Piment d’Anglet, Doux Long des Landes)
Average Size: About 6 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 1
A French pepper used in many French Basque recipes. It is a twisty, long pepper that when green has a “very distinct peppery taste with a very tender skin, and lend[s] a nice chile zest without adding heat,” says Winsberg. When it turns red, it gets very sweet. It excels in sauces, chopped up and sautéed for a pipérade (the Basque fryer would replace the bell peppers in our recipe), or fried with meats or sausage.
5. Anaheim Chile
Average Size: About 5 to 6 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 1
Named after the city in Southern California, the Anaheim is a big, mild chile that’s good for stuffing. Its skin is a little tough, but it peels pretty easily if you roast it first. Anaheims are good roasted, cut into strips, and thrown into a salad; stuffed with meat and grilled; used in salsa verde; or added to cheese enchiladas.
6. Cayenne
Average Size: About 2 to 6 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 4 to 5
This bright red pepper is usually consumed in its dried, powdered form, known as cayenne pepper. When ripe and fresh, cayenne chiles are long, skinny, and very hot. Winsberg says they are relatives of wild chiles from South and Central America.
7. Guernica
Average Size: About 3 to 5 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 1
The Guernica is a Spanish pepper similar to the Padrón in flavor but bigger and without any heat, says Winsberg. It is often served fried like the Padrón or stuffed with cheese or other fillings. It develops a tougher skin as it matures, and then is best roasted and peeled.
8. Hot Banana Pepper
Average Size: About 6 to 7 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 2
Happy Quail grows both sweet and hot varieties of the banana pepper, known as bácskai fehér in Hungary. Winsberg says they are often used in Hungarian lecsó (a dish of stewed peppers and eggs), pickled, or served grilled with meats.
9. Jalapeño (a.k.a. Chipotle)
Average Size: About 2 to 3 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 2 to 3
Familiar stuffed with cream cheese and deep-fried as a bar snack, or chopped up in salsa, the jalapeño is probably the best-known pepper in the States. It gets its name from Jalapa (also spelled Xalapa), the capital of Veracruz, Mexico. Harvested at both its green and red stages, the jalapeño is spicy but easy to seed and devein if you wish to remove some of the heat. When dried and smoked, it’s called a chipotle chile.
10. Serrano Pepper
Average Size: About 1.5 to 2.5 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 3
Chowhound
Spicier than the jalapeño, the serrano is a small Mexican pepper with thick, juicy walls, so it’s a great hot-salsa pepper, and is widely available and versatile. It is most commonly sold in its green stage (it turns red and then yellow as it gets older). You can also find serranos pickled or dried.
11. Habanero Chile
Average Size: About 2 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 5
Native to parts of Central America and the Caribbean, this little pepper packs a lot of heat. But contrary to popular belief, the Red Savina habanero is not the hottest type of chile; that distinction now goes to the Indian bhut jolokia, or ghost chile (and Jamaican jerk mainstay Scotch bonnet peppers are almost twice as hot as habaneros). Still, habaneros add a lot of fire to cooking and should be used judiciously. You’ll find different colors, ranging from red to white-yellow and even brown, but orange is the most common. Great for salsa, hot sauces, or a tongue-blazing jerk chicken (if you can’t find those Scotch bonnet chiles).
12. Pimiento de Padrón (a.k.a. Padrón Pepper)
Average Size: About 2 to 4 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 1 (but the hot ones, even when young, can be 2 to 3)
This pepper is a specialty grown in Galicia in northern Spain. It is traditionally eaten as a simple tapa, fried in olive oil and tossed with salt; it is harvested young and small, with a tender skin and no mature seeds, so it’s perfect for eating whole, bitten right off the stem. It is generally mild with a nutty flavor at this stage, but it gets hotter as it matures. Part of the fun of eating these peppers is that about one in a dozen will be pretty hot, says Winsberg.
13. Aji Rojo
Average Size: About 2 to 3 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 4
Common in a lot of Peruvian cooking, the aji rojo is more of an orange-red than a true red pepper. It has a similar heat level to cayenne and can be chopped finely and added to ceviche or mixed with cheese or cream to make a sauce to serve over potatoes or chicken.
14. Thai Chili (a.k.a. Thai Bird’s Eye Chili)
Average Size: About 1 to 2 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 5
This tiny chile adds serious amounts of heat to Southeast Asian cuisines. You may find either green or red Thai chiles; both are very spicy. Throw them whole into Thai soups like tom kha gai, purée them for curry pastes, or chop them up for any dish where you want to add heat without a lot of pieces of pepper.
15. Bell Pepper
Average Size: About 3 to 6 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 1
The most common sweet pepper, bells are usually seen in red, green, and yellow, but there are also purple, brown, and orange varieties, even striped orange-red. They are a crunchy, juicy pepper that is great for eating raw on salads, sautéing, or roasting and chopping up to throw on a pizza or a sandwich.
16. Hot Cherry Pepper
Average Size: About 1 to 2 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 4
These vary in size and shape and are very hot. They are usually round, though sometimes more of a triangular shape. Cherry peppers can also be sweet. They’re most often used in pickling: You can throw one in a jar with cucumber pickles to spice things up, or pickle them with other, more mild peppers.
17. Hungarian Pimento Pepper
Average Size: About 4 to 6 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 1
This is a type of pimento (or pimiento) pepper, which is what you often find stuffed in green olives. It is a large, sweet red pepper, similar to a bell but with an extra-thick, juicy wall. The skin comes off easily, so this is an ideal pepper for roasting. It’s also great to eat raw with dip.
18. Piquillo Pepper
Average Size: About 3 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 1
The ultimate pepper for roasting, the Spanish piquillo has become very popular because of its intensely sweet flavor and bright red color. It is usually only available canned or jarred, but it’s becoming easier to find fresh. It is often roasted, peeled, and stuffed with a variety of fillings like salt cod, tuna, or cheese (but is also good stuffed in other things, like these Fried Spanish Ham and Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops).
19. Shishito Pepper
Average Size: 2 to 4 inches long
Spiciness Scale: 1 to 2 (with the occasional 2 to 3)
Popular in Japan, the shishito has thin walls, mild heat, and a little sweetness. It is good served like the Padrón: simply fried, roasted, or grilled, drizzled with some soy sauce and sesame oil, and eaten whole. It also makes very tasty tempura.
Pepper Recipes
Now that you’ve got the details on 19 different peppers, you’re more equipped than ever to use them. Try some of our ideas for cooking with these chile peppers.
1. Red Pepper Hummus
Chowhound
Roasted bell peppers are pureed with beans, tahini, and an array of spices and herbs to create a creamy red pepper twist on a Middle Eastern classic. This dip is filling enough to serve on bread with veggies for an easy meal or perfect as a snack served with warmed pita. The dip only takes 15 minutes to prepare and requires minimal effort. Get our Red Pepper Hummus recipe.
2. Chilaquiles
Chowhound
Dried ancho chiles are the secret flavor powerhouse in this recipe for chilaquiles. This traditional Mexican dish is typically made with fried corn tortillas and then topped with anything from spicy chili sauce to meat to eggs. This versatile dish is perfect for anyone who loves tacos, nachos, or Mexican cuisine in general. Get our Chilaquiles recipe.
3. Pipérade
Chowhound
This French sauté is full of bright bell peppers and French spices. It can be served over almost any meat but we recommend Braised Chicken and Julia Child prefers it over an omelet. This recipe is perfect for the summer months when you have an abundance of vegetables and herbs lying around. Get our Pipérade recipe.
4. Roasted Red Pepper and Spicy Sausage Grilled Pizza
Chowhound
Sweet roasted bell peppers mingle with sausage on this grilled pizza, but dried chili flakes also come into play, in the form of a chili oil that is drizzled on top. Grilling the pizza ensures an irresistibly crunchy crust. It can be made from scratch or sped up by starting with store-bought pizza dough. No grill? Try making it with the skillet pizza recipe method instead. Get our Roasted Red Pepper and Spicy Sausage Grilled Pizza recipe.
5. Slow Cooker Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers
Chowhound
This recipe is the perfect meatless meal. Red bell peppers are stuffed with protein-packed quinoa and salty feta. Serve this with a side salad for an easy weeknight dinner. Get our Slow Cooker Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers recipe.
6. Grilled Padrón Peppers
Chowhound
These small and slightly sweet peppers are generally mild, but one in every handful will be surprisingly spicy. They’re usually deep-fried, but grilling is a healthy and quick preparation that adds a smoky layer of flavor. Get our Grilled Padrón Peppers recipe.
7. Basic Roasted Bell Peppers
Chowhound
Instead of placing the peppers directly under the broiler, we give them a little room by setting them in the middle of the oven. This extra distance allows them to roast a bit before their skins blister. Get our Basic Roasted Bell Peppers recipe.
8. Stuffed Bell Peppers with Feta and Herbs
Chowhound
The sweetness of the bell peppers plays off the golden raisins in the filling, and the vegetal note is heightened by the herbs. Get our Stuffed Bell Peppers with Feta and Herbs recipe.
9. Chiles Rellenos
Chowhound
Stuffed, fried poblano peppers are Mexico’s version of comfort food. Chiles rellenos fillings can range from ground or stewed meats to a medley of vegetables, but this version sticks to classic cheese and features serrano peppers. Get our Chiles Rellenos recipe.
10. Stuffed Poblanos with Black Beans and Cheese
Chowhound
Serve these stuffed peppers them as a vegetarian main course or as a starter. They’re loaded with rice, black beans, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, and cilantro, then grilled until the peppers are charred and tender. Get our Stuffed Poblanos with Black Beans and Cheese recipe.
11. Basic Jalapeño Poppers
Chowhound
Broiling the peppers gives them a nice outer char and leaves the filling browned and bubbling. Get our Basic Jalapeño Poppers recipe.
12. Chicken Chile Verde
Chowhound
With Anaheim chiles, poblanos, and dried Aleppo peppers, this dish is always a big hit. It’s great rolled into a burrito, but you can also serve it on its own topped with scallions, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Get our Chicken Chile Verde recipe. (Or try our Slow Cooker Chicken Chile Verde recipe.)
13. Chicken-Fried and Pickled Pepper Sandwiches
Chowhound
Use a variety of small peppers for pickling, such as baby bells, Cubanelles, or banana peppers. They combine on a sandwich roll with chicken breasts are dipped in buttermilk, then dredged in flour seasoned with paprika, black pepper, and ground mustard. Get our Chicken-Fried and Pickled Pepper Sandwiches recipe.
14. Papalote Salsa
Chowhound
Pasilla chiles (in their dried and ground form) mingle with chiles de arbol (a small, spicy Mexican pepper), tomatoes, vinegar, cilantro, scallions, and pumpkin seeds in this blended taqueria-style salsa. Get our Papalote Salsa recipe.
15. Spicy Chicken Chile Taco Dip
Chowhound
This gooey dip features Anaheim chiles, poblano peppers, and serranos, along with onion, garlic, Roma tomatoes, and Mexican spices. Leave out the chicken and you have a hearty vegetarian dip packed with cheese and black beans. Get our Spicy Chicken Chile Taco Dip recipe.
16. Lotsa Serranos Blazing Hot Sauce
Chowhound
As the name implies, this hot sauce is jam-packed with spicy serrano peppers, plus lime juice, garlic and onion powders, cider vinegar, and salt. It’s a pure, potent complement to pulled pork, tacos, and much more. But use it within 2 weeks, or the freshness starts to fade. Get our Serrano Hot Sauce recipe.
17. Habanero Orange Stomach Punch Hot Sauce
Chowhound
If you prefer habanero peppers, we’ve got you covered too. This is actually milder than the first habanero hot sauce we brewed up, but definitely still for heat seekers only. (If you want to soften it with a little sweetness, try this habanero-infused Smoked Cherry Hot Sauce, which is still plenty spicy.) Get our Habanero Orange Hot Sauce recipe.
18. Chile Lime Tequila Compound Butter
Chowhound
Minced serrano or jalapeno peppers spice up a compound butter also spiked with tequila and lime juice. Perfect for patting on seared or grilled steaks or fish (or chicken, or corn, or…anything savory, really). Get our Chile Lime Tequila Compound Butter recipe.
19. Jalapeno Cilantro Yogurt Spread
Chowhound
A simple but flavorful sauce that lends both spice and creamy coolness to all sorts of grilled or roasted meats or veggies, this can also be used as an easy dip (try it with sweet potato chips). If you don’t like cilantro, you can substitute another fresh, leafy green herb. Get our Jalapeno Cilantro Yogurt Spread recipe.
20. Spicy Chipotle Tuna Melts
Chowhound
With diced fresh jalapeno and canned chipotles in adobo, these tuna melts transcend the diner classic. Get our Spicy Chipotle Tuna Melt recipe.
21. Grilled Shisito Peppers
Chowhound
The Japanese cousin to Spanish Padrón peppers, these are equally great grilled and sprinkled with coarse salt, but we like to add a little togarashi (a Japanese spice mix usually containing red chile, dried orange zest, nori, sesame seeds, and ginger). Get our Grilled Shisito Pepper recipe.
This post was originally posted on April 7, 2011 and has been updated with additional text and links.
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What Is the Difference Between Regular, Raw, and Manuka Honey?
There is an entire alphabet of honey from acacia to wildflower, but beyond those different floral varieties, there are other types too. We’re taking a deeper look at the difference between raw honey, regular honey, and Manuka honey. But first, a little bit about honey in general.
Honey, or apiculture (the technical term for beekeeping), is big business these days due to the variety of health benefits found in bee pollen and in the sweet golden nectar of honey itself. Used as a natural sweetener in lieu of processed sugar and artificial sweeteners, honey is even Goop approved, dubbed as a natural elixir and “nectar of the gods” by beauty experts with celebrity endorsements from the likes of Kourtney Kardashian and Meghan Markle who swear by the sweet stuff’s restorative powers.
Historically, honey has been used for centuries, not just as food. Dating back thousands of years to ancient Egypt and ancient China, honey has been used in traditional forms of medicine, aiding in everything from digestive issues and sleep deprivation to allergies and anti-aging. Even today, China remains the largest consumer of honey products due to its natural uses of antibacterial and antiseptic properties found in its syrupy wake.
Related Reading: 11 Delicious Reasons to Always Have Honey on Hand
While there are literally hundreds of types of honey to choose from, not all honey is created equal. Knowing the basic differences between regular honey, raw honey, and Manuka honey (the relative darling of the wellness and celebrity world right now) is equally important. Here’s a look at the major differences between those three.
Vesna Jovanovic / EyeEm / Getty Images
Regular Honey
Simply put, regular honey is any honey that has been pasteurized or filtered. During the pasteurization process, similar to the pasteurization of milk, cheese, or butter, honey is heated at high temperatures to kill any yeast that may be present in order to prevent fermentation. It’s pretty easy to tell regular honey from raw or Manuka honey because of its translucent color and syrupy consistency. According to the website Benefits Of Honey, “a lot of honey found in the supermarket is not raw honey but ‘commercial’ regular honey […] which has been pasteurized (heated at 70 degrees Celsius or more, followed by rapid cooling) for easy filtering and bottling so that it looks cleaner and smoother, more appealing on the shelf, and easier to handle and package.”
Raw Honey
Raw honey, on the other hand, is any honey that hasn’t been heated or filtered. Think of it as hive to shelf. While there’s no official FDA definition for raw honey, according to the National Honey Board, raw honey is defined as “honey as it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat.” While raw honey is better in terms of preserving the vitamins and natural enzymes that you won’t find in processed, regular honey, the characteristics and consistency can vary greatly. Your best bet, if you don’t want to buy just based on a label, is to get it straight from farmer’s market/beekeeper as it really doesn’t get much fresher than that.
Manuka Honey
Taking your honey education one step further, one of the healthiest types of honey available on the market today, Manuka honey (pronounced Mah-noo-kah) is honey that is derived from the nectar of the Manuka bush, a plant that’s only grown in New Zealand and Australia. Long been hailed for its medicinal and antibacterial properties, today, this medical grade form of honey is being used in everything from treating topical cuts, burns and common colds to helping cure acne and general skin care to being served in high-end restaurants and sold in health food stores around the world. It also carries a hefty price tag to match.
Comvita / Facebook
One of the largest purveyors of Manuka honey, New Zealand-based health company Comvita makes everything from honey-based adhesives to throat lozenges and moisturizer. “We started using honey-based treatments as an alternative option for patients and noticed it was making such a big difference topically,” Heidi Darcy, a registered nurse and Comvita’s communication manager said. “Of course, some people still need conventional medicine treatments but I think there’s so much opportunity for honey to work with conventional forms of treatments so that it can really improve people’s lives.” Darcy pointed to the unique properties found in Manuka including leptosperin and methylglyoxal. How do you know if what you’re getting is the real deal? Look for a jar of honey that’s UMF or Unique Manuka Factor.
“Honey’s something so simple, people could put it on and use it at home if they got any little nick or cut, they could put it on so that it doesn’t get to the infected stage and you don’t have to use the antibiotics, and then we can keep the antibiotics for when we really need them,” Darcy said.
So stock some honey in your pantry, and maybe in your medicine chest too.
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