While raw honeycomb may not appear to be edible, it most definitely is. Despite its popularity as a sweetener, and being known to never expire, many may not know what honeycomb tastes like. It’s hexagonal sections are glowy with a beautiful golden color, and it certainly looks delicious!
Honeycomb mostly tastes of honey–sweet and nectary. The flavor is subtle, yet it tastes different from regular honey in the jar.
What is Honeycomb Exactly?
Honeycomb is a combination of beeswax and honey. The beeswax gives the honeycomb its rigid structure, and the honey fills in the spaces.
Oftentimes, making honeycomb is hard work for the bees. The youngest workers secrete wax droplets which harden into the frame of the honeycomb. Bees use this frame to store the honey and house the queen bee.
The Taste
Although the flavor of honeycomb itself is light, it is packed with honey and is extremely sweet. This makes it a great substitute for sugar or syrup in dishes. The beeswax is flavorless, but adds the satisfying crunch when it is bitten into.
The Texture
When eating honeycomb, it’s useful to have napkins close by. When biting off the beeswax hexagon, honey often drips out and can get quite messy. The texture is crunchy and sticky yet chewy, and it oozes inside your mouth. Honeycomb can be compared to a hard candy when first eaten, but it eventually feels grainy once the honey is released from the wax.
Different Kinds of Honeycomb
Depending on the flowers the bees use to produce the honey, some types of honeycomb may taste more floral than others. Depending on the potency of the flowers, the strength of the honeycomb will vary. Sometimes, honeycomb can be citrusy, fruity, or light in flavor.
What Foods Go Well With Honeycomb?
Honeycomb can be eaten with many kinds of breakfast foods. It can be put onto toast, rice cakes, or added to oatmeal for an extra crunch that doesn’t come with regular honey. When added to a bowl of yogurt and granola, it makes a quick and healthy breakfast or snack.
Honeycomb also pairs well with cheese, chocolate, and arugula salads. This makes it great for breakfast, lunch, and small party foods alike. Other popular hors d’oeuvres with honeycomb include shrimp and crackers, pecans and apricots, and puff pastries.
Storing Honeycomb
Much like raw honey in a jar, honeycomb can be stored for extremely long periods of time. Be sure to keep it in an airtight container at room temperature. The honeycomb must be protected from water.
Where Can You Buy Honeycomb?
Surprisingly enough, honeycomb can be found and bought from many local grocery stores. It is also sold in online markets such as Etsy and Amazon.
Although honeycomb can be expensive at times, there are still other cost-effective options. Usually, buying a jar of honey with a piece of comb in it is cheaper than buying a piece of honeycomb by itself.
Give Honeycomb a Try!
All in all, trying honeycomb for the first time is an experience worth having. It’s crunch, smoothness, and sweetness make it perfect to enjoy for many points throughout the day. Honeycomb is delicious, refreshing, and perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth or a knack for delicacy.
