Fermented honey is a sweet treat that you can make at home. It’s simple, too! The flavor of this fermented honey will depend on the type of honey and other ingredients used in the recipe. While it might sound strange to ferment honey, this practice has been around for thousands of years. In fact, many traditional cultures consider fermented foods part of their diets due to their health benefits. Fermented garlic honey on the other hand can be total unique experience.
What is Fermented Honey?
Fermented honey is a type of honey that is fermented by introducing yeast and bacteria into the honey. It is created in a similar way to how wine is made: yeast and bacteria are added to the honey to cause fermentation.
Yeasts convert the sugars in honey into alcohol, while bacteria produce carbon dioxide gas, which gives fermented honey its bubbling texture. In addition to its unique taste and texture, fermented honey has been found to have health benefits such as improved digestion due to its probiotic properties and you should add it to your diet if you have a healthy lifestyle.
Does Honey Even Ferment?
Yes! Honey is a sugar solution, which means it will ferment. While honey’s sweetness can mask some of the sourness that comes from fermentation, fermented honey still contains plenty of acids as well as an alcohol content of about 0.5%. In addition to its naturally occurring sugars, honey also contains glucose and fructose—two monosaccharides (simple sugars) that are easily converted into ethanol by yeast during fermentation.
Ingredients
Things you’ll need:
- Raw honey
- Garlic cloves (peeled)
- Filtered water
- 1/2 cup raw honey
How to Make Fermented Garlic Honey?
To make this process a bit easier, try prepping your garlic and honey ahead of time. You will also want to get your fermentation container ready by wiping it down with rubbing alcohol or vinegar.
Spices are optional and can be added to taste. Some common spices used in ferments include: cilantro, thyme, cinnamon, ginger root, nutmeg or allspice. The idea is that you want your ferment to have a lot of flavor!
Health Benefits of Fermented Garlic Honey
- Antibacterial properties
- Antifungal properties
- Anti-inflammatory properties
- Anti-viral properties
Fermented honey helps with digestion and bloating. Garlic is known for aiding in gas, cramps, colic and other digestive issues. It also helps to improve gut flora by killing off harmful bacteria that can infect your system if left unchecked. Fermented garlic honey has been shown to help with food poisoning from E. coli and salmonella as well as diarrhea due to Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).
Fermented Honey Fruits
Honey fruit is made by adding probiotic bacteria to the sugar syrup used to make honey. There are a few different ways to do this, but in general, you’ll find that fermented fruit honey has a much stronger savory flavor than other kinds of honey. It is fermented with lactic acid producing bacteria that gives it more depth and complexity. To make fermented honey fruit follow the fermented garlic honey recipe that was told but instead of garlic use fruit of choice, almost every fruit can be used. Read about fruits you should avoid eating in winter?
Fermented fruit honey is an alternative for vinegar in salad dressings (try substituting one part vinegar with two parts fermented fruit honey), mayonnaise on sandwiches (try using three parts mayonnaise with one part fermented honey fruit), or even sugar when baking desserts (use half as much if you’re using regular granulated sugar).
Drinks
Fermented Honey Drinks are great for your health and are super easy to make and you can use in many different ways. There are many benefits of Fermented Honey Drinks. In order to make any type of fermented honey drink simply add some water to it and you are good to go. If that does not do it for you just add some lemon/lime juice to elevate the flavor.
Facts about Fermented Honey
Fermented honey is a sweet and sour food made by adding bacteria to honey. A natural source of sugar, honey can ferment with a wide range of ingredients, including fruits, herbs, spices, and vegetables. Fermented honey considered as an ancient remedy for many health problems over the centuries. It is often referred to as “moldy honey” because it contains probiotic microorganisms that help restore the balance of bacteria in your digestive tract.
Fermented garlic honey is yet another way to add flavor and spice to your favorite foods. Also an ingredient in many recipes, but also works well on its own as a condiment or topping for yogurt!
