Fake Hilltribe Honey

[chiangmaibruce]

We had a trip up to Doi Mae Salong the other week and I bought back a souvenir - a whisky bottle full of 'honey' bought from a roadside stall. I have sampled it many times since then, and personally I think it's honey. My mother-in-law however reckons it's fake honey. Her method of confirming this was to put a few drops in a glass of water, and (supposedly) if it's fake then it dissolves rapidly - but if it's real then it sits on the bottom and only dissolves slowly.

In my quest for the truth I searched in Thaivisa and came across the following topic in the Thai food section:

http://www.thaivisa....ey-real-or-fake

That discussion seemed to conclude that there really was fake honey being sold by those naughty Hilltribe people. I'm still not convinced though. Would they really go to that much trouble? How would they do it? Honey is a natural product that has natural variations in colour and consistency. Anyway i thought I would put it out to the more knowledgable and refined audience of the Chiang Mai forum for a more definitive answer to this matter of pressing concern

[naboo]

I've bought 'honey' from the tourist trap on top of Doi Pui. It tasted like sugar syrup to me.

I've also bought honey from the Saturday walking street. That was definitely honey.

The 'honey' from Doi Pui went in coffee. The honey from the Saturday walking street went on toast. I'm still seeking the hilltribe honey that goes well in bed.....

[DavidOxon]

can get it at local markets....

can watch them decant the honey from the combs.

200 baht for 2 bottles, absolutely delicious

David

[chiangmaibruce]

I'm still seeking the hilltribe honey that goes well in bed.....

555 ... I'll pay that ... just look out for fake honeys (adams apple, etc)

Edited March 22, 2011 by chiangmaibruce

[LJW]

I usually by honey everytime I see it for sale.

My result is about 80% is real, the rest is fake.

If after a few weeks, it is too clean= fake

The real honey I buy always has some stuff in it.

If it flows too easily= fake

The real stuff flows very slowly

I can't usually tell by taste.

[toybits]

Yeah! Like bee larvae juice. Clarity of the honey is an important measure of purity. When properly extracted, pure honey should be clear. It may be dark or light and that depends on what type of flowers the bees have been visiting. Some types of honey might be bitter - again depending on the type of flower they visit.

Honey should not bubble. If it does, that means the honey is not ripe and is fermenting - NOT GOOD.

Some people might introduce bits of honey comb to make it look authentic - They can try but I won't buy.

Viscosity can be simulated.

Bottom line is when buying "honey" from sidewalk vendors, you are likely to be dissappointed.

[elektrified]

can get it at local markets....

can watch them decant the honey from the combs.

200 baht for 2 bottles, absolutely delicious

David

This is the best way to buy honey to be sure it is real. There is a guy that sells it just like that at the morning market at Ruam Chok on Saturday and Sunday.

It's not only the hill tribe people but the Thais as well that sell 'honey' which is only a small percentage of honey and the rest is sugar syrup. Most Thais I know are very skeptical of buying honey from people they don't know or who were not recommended to them. We used to get it from a bee farm in Chiang Dao but now we get it from the guy at Ruam Chok.

[Sojourner]

can get it at local markets....

can watch them decant the honey from the combs.

200 baht for 2 bottles, absolutely delicious

David

This is the best way to buy honey to be sure it is real. There is a guy that sells it just like that at the morning market at Ruam Chok on Saturday and Sunday.

It's not only the hill tribe people but the Thais as well that sell 'honey' which is only a small percentage of honey and the rest is sugar syrup. Most Thais I know are very skeptical of buying honey from people they don't know or who were not recommended to them. We used to get it from a bee farm in Chiang Dao but now we get it from the guy at Ruam Chok.

I'm very interested in meeting this vendor. Is he located in the strip mall where Rimping Market is or past it in the fruit and vegetable market? Thanks

[elektrified]

can get it at local markets....

can watch them decant the honey from the combs.

200 baht for 2 bottles, absolutely delicious

David

This is the best way to buy honey to be sure it is real. There is a guy that sells it just like that at the morning market at Ruam Chok on Saturday and Sunday.

It's not only the hill tribe people but the Thais as well that sell 'honey' which is only a small percentage of honey and the rest is sugar syrup. Most Thais I know are very skeptical of buying honey from people they don't know or who were not recommended to them. We used to get it from a bee farm in Chiang Dao but now we get it from the guy at Ruam Chok.

I'm very interested in meeting this vendor. Is he located in the strip mall where Rimping Market is or past it in the fruit and vegetable market? Thanks

He's only there for a couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday at the morning market at Ruam Chok Market were all the people come to sell their produce and things out front. He is as I recall, usually fairly close to 7-11.

[bikerjoy]

I've bought 'honey' from the tourist trap on top of Doi Pui. It tasted like sugar syrup to me.

I've also bought honey from the Saturday walking street. That was definitely honey.

The 'honey' from Doi Pui went in coffee. The honey from the Saturday walking street went on toast. I'm still seeking the hilltribe honey that goes well in bed.....

GET YOUR HONEY FROM THE ROYAL PROJECT AT CARREFOUR FOR 160 B. A BOTTLE. ITS GUARANTEED!

CHEERS,

P.

[nikster]

If you can't taste the difference, why do you care?

I am on an endless quest for good honey in Thailand - I am picky so most I just don't like. I don't like any of the import or organic honeys in Rim Ping or tops either. None of it is really good - all the import stuff is blended, and that's a no-no right there. The Thai organic brands are not very good for whatever reason.

I got some really good stuff from Nan recently. I am not too concerned with authenticity - I doubt I'd like fake honey. But if I do - then why not.

I've come across the fermenting kind once. Very strange - I've never seen that back home in Europe. Tasted gross and was promptly thrown away.

Edited March 23, 2011 by nikster

[chiangmaibruce]

[Most Thais I know are very skeptical of buying honey from people they don't know or who were not recommended to them.

sorry sparky, but "most thais i know" believe in ghosts but it doesn't mean that ghosts exist. I 'm still not convinced that this isn't just an alpine myth.

Let's see, hilltribe folks going to the shops to buy sugar (and presumably other ingredients) so they can slave over a hot stove to create a thick liquid that looks and tastes (at least somewhat) like honey - rather than just harvesting the natural product. As before, differences in taste, colour and flavour just happen with natural products.

Can anyone here offer any conclusive proof that fake honey is being sold in northern thailand? anyone?

[orang37]

... snip ... I am on an endless quest for good honey in Thailand ... snip

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun Nikster,

Then, may we recommend you go to Talat San Pak Hoi on Thanon Sai Thong that runs parallel east-west to Thanon CharoenMuang, and look for a fruit seller in the front of the market who sells a honey from Mae Hong Son called "nam peung baa." 150 baht per bottle. Taste reminds me of the molasses-overtones in avocado honey from California.

If you are interested, will post more specific details (name of vendor, maybe a more accurate transliteration of the Thai name), on return from an upcoming journey.

best, ~o:37;

[egg]

apply the old Cheech and Chong theory ,,, if it looks like dog shit , smells like dog shit and tastes like dog shit,it must be dog shit ,,, or Thai honey

[chiangmaibruce]

differences in taste, colour and flavour just happen with natural products.

Oops, I meant to say - taste, colour and consistency

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Why is this so hard..?

Fake Hilltribe honey: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4213151818_608293defd.jpg

Real Hilltribe honey: http://images.imagestate.com/Watermark/1640298.jpg

[WinnieTheKhwai]

<double post>

Edited March 23, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Johpa]

I'm still seeking the hilltribe honey that goes well in bed.....

I found some of that 25 years ago, still hasn't dissolved.

Then again, honey scandals have been fairy common news in the business section here in the US for several years now, fake Russian imported honey, fake imported Chinese honey. Apparently most folks can't taste the difference.

[Ricardo]

Mrs R. recently brought home some cheap (100B per plastic-bag) local 'honey', it even has a scrap of honeycomb and a couple of dead bees in it, but the fragrance/flavour was disappointingly lacking. A more-expert friend tried it, and concluded that it was probably corn-syrup, trying to look like honey.

I would be suspicious of anything too lightly-coloured or swift-flowing.

And IME honey would only ferment (producing bubbles) if it had too-high a water-content, ie had probably been watered-down, before bottling.

I would recommend Wildflower or Longan honey from Forabee, who are based about 10km south of town on the main-road to Lamang, they are trying to establish the latter as a generic type, like heather-honey. One can only wish them luck.