Roadside Honey... Real Or Fake?

[Pawpcorn]

I've been wondering about this for a long time, and thought I'd ask the TV experts about this...

Often, when travelling through the Thai countryside, I come upon roadside stands selling "Honey". They display an old dried-out wild bee hive, as "proof" that this is "honey". It's sold in used Whiskey bottles(!).

OK, I love honey, so I bought a few bottles a while back, but (besides still being able to smell the original whiskey[!]) it seemed that the liquid was thinner than honey, and didn't really even seem to taste like honey; more like syrup.

AND I used to have a few beehives when I was a youngster, and I KNOW how much work can be involved in maintaining beehives. AND I don't recall really ever seeing a beehive farm (the white boxes, placed in a field) here in Thailand...

So I started to suspect that this might just be sugar and water, cooked, and made to look like honey.

I came upon an old bottle of this in my cupboard last week, and decided to try an experiment; I poured some of this thinner liquid into a shallow bowl, and put it in the refrigerator, in order to dehydrated it a bit, to make it thicker, and more the consistency of honey.

I'm giving it the benefit of doubt, and trying to see, if once it's thicker, if it will seem more (and taste more) like honey. I just tasted it a couple of minutes ago... it's thicker... but still doesn't really seem to be authentic "honey".

Anyone out there with the true scoop on this? REAL or FAKE???

[T_Dog]

A lot of it is indeed fake. We bought one bottle up in Mae Hong Son that was definitely the real deal, but the bottle we have in the fridge at the moment doesn't look like it would ever crystallize like real honey does. It tastes like honey though so it must have at least a little in it.

[pjclark1]

Ants eat sugar

Ants don't eat honey

Put some near some ants.

[Pawpcorn]

Thanks for the advice, guys!

I didn't know that about ants and I've got no shortage of THOSE little guys, in the apartment, at the moment! I'll TRY that!

Thanks again!

[Nawtier]

Somewhat crap about the ants.....our honey bottles attract ants each and every day.

A lot of the roadside stuff is fake....think it is sugar cane and whatever they use to make the syrup.

A quick test is to hold the bottle upside down and see how quick the bubble rises....if quick, it is thin and probably not real.

We buy honey from an old time honey farmer, he has hundreds of bee hives and moves them all around for the fruit tree blooms and sunflowers etc.

I mainly do not buy the roadside stuff because of the whiskey smell still in the bottles.....I like honey in my tea and on toast...not whiskey.

We also tried some roadside wild honey, you buy it still in the comb and eat the comb and all. I would have to say that the wild stuff did not taste that great, it could have been the comb with it, but tasted very plain and was rather thin.

The honey we buy crystalises in some bottles after a while, you can also make creamed honey from it this way which is great on toast.......it is also a great price.

[Pawpcorn]

Somewhat crap about the ants.....our honey bottles attract ants each and every day.

A lot of the roadside stuff is fake....think it is sugar cane and whatever they use to make the syrup.

A quick test is to hold the bottle upside down and see how quick the bubble rises....if quick, it is thin and probably not real.

We buy honey from an old time honey farmer, he has hundreds of bee hives and moves them all around for the fruit tree blooms and sunflowers etc.

I mainly do not buy the roadside stuff because of the whiskey smell still in the bottles.....I like honey in my tea and on toast...not whiskey.

We also tried some roadside wild honey, you buy it still in the comb and eat the comb and all. I would have to say that the wild stuff did not taste that great, it could have been the comb with it, but tasted very plain and was rather thin.

The honey we buy crystalises in some bottles after a while, you can also make creamed honey from it this way which is great on toast.......it is also a great price.

Well, that's very cool, and thanks for stopping me before I actually tested that theory.

Could you please give me some information as how to locate this honey farmer? I'm about 20km west of BKK Metropolitan, but we do a fair amount of traveling by auto... Thanks!

[Nawtier]

He is near Saraburi.....so if you head that way ever.......I can send phone number by PM if you want.

[unblocktheplanet]

I, too, have always thought the 'honey' sold here is a little thin without much honey flavour. I have recently been told that beekeepers feed a lot of sugar syrup, thereby thinning the honey. (Myth or not?)

The King's projects honey is thicker but still not much flavour. I've recently seen, at Paragon grocery, some high-end honey reputedly from local flowers.

In any case, honey is labour-intensive anywhere and not any cheaper here than in the West. I actually think the imported brands are no pricier than local.

[David006]

yup ...wifey says a lot of it contains a lot of sugar+++ better get "in" with locals some place to get the real macoy....not what you know but who.....that said what IS that crap Tesco sells!!

good real wild honey goes for up to 1000 baht a whiskey bottle...lol

[Igor]

I actually think the imported brands are no pricier than local.

Sad to say, many imported honeys are reported to be adulterated - usually with corn syrup or, worse, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Buyer beware.

[garyh]

You said you have never seen hives, around here at the moment there a hives everywhere. The Lumyai trees are in flower and the place is REALLY buzzing it is very loud.

My wife say's the only honey they call real is what comes from the wild, not hives we are familiar with.

Edited March 22, 2011 by garyh

[joeyg]

On 2/21/2011 at 5:41 PM, pjclark1 said:

Ants eat sugar

Ants don't eat honey

Put some near some ants.

Ants do in fact eat honey.  I had to take special measures to protect hives at different times from ant infestations.  TV members never cease to amaze.  Then there's Google if you find it hard to believe a beekeeper. 

[Orton Rd]