sweets

Acacia's honey

What is acacia honey?

Acacia honey (Black Locust Honey or American Acacia Honey) is a type of monofloral honey, produced by bees that live near acacia plants and draw exclusively from them.

Acacia is a botanical genus belonging to the Mimosaceae family; however, in the spoken language, the term acacia is mainly meant the plant Robinia pseudoacacia (in English: black locust tree). Native of North America and now widespread in Europe, this plant is commonly called "false acacia".

Acacia honey is undoubtedly one of the most famous and widespread honeys, both for its typical taste and for the chemical properties that distinguish it.

Description

Description of acacia honey

Acacia honey is very light yellow, transparent and of liquid consistency. It has a very low crystallization speed and can remain liquid for a very long time, thanks to its high concentration of fructose compared to glucose. In contrast, honeys that have a lower fructose / glucose ratio tend to crystallize more quickly.

The taste is obviously sweet, with a slightly bitter aftertaste, almost imperceptible. Aroma and taste are delicate, with flowers, vanilla and completely characteristic. If very pure, that is not mixed with other floral sources, it is almost completely colorless.

Purposes

Use of acacia honey

By virtue of its organoleptic and gustatory characteristics, as well as its excellent solubility, acacia honey is excellent as a sweetener for beverages (tea, herbal tea, milk, yogurt, coffee, barley, vegetable milk, etc.). It does not excessively alter the taste and aroma of the products; on the contrary, in general the main characteristics are exhaled.

In Italy, one of the most widespread uses of acacia honey is on homemade bread; it also lends itself to being spread on rusks, biscuits, wasa etc. Above all abroad, it is sometimes accompanied with salted butter.

With acacia honey you can also sweeten simple or very complex recipes: cakes, muffins, biscuits, cupcakes, pancakes, etc.

Many use honey as an accelerating leavening substrate for bread. Regardless of taste, it is not a choice among the best (especially using unpasteurized honey, due to its antibacterial properties).

The combination of honey and cheese is famous. In particular, acacia honey lends itself to enhancing complex, structured cheeses, even blue, seasoned or soft cheeses. Some examples are: gorgonzola, roquefort, provolone (also with lemon), caciocavallo, young pecorino romano, caprini of various kinds, ricottas etc.

Property

Health benefits of acacia honey

Despite its sweetness, acacia honey has a very low sucrose content (disaccharide composed of glucose + fructose); the fructose level, on the other hand, is higher than normal. For this reason, as an alternative to synthetic sweeteners or classic table sugar, it is considered the best choice in case of type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, this does not mean that it can be used freely. In excess, acacia honey has the exact same side effects as table sugar and glucose syrup.

According to some sources of "natural medicine", acacia honey could be equipped with various therapeutic qualities, including: purifying for the liver and improving intestinal balance; it could also hinder certain diseases of the pharynx, due to its antibacterial properties. On the other hand it must be specified that all commercial honeys, for reasons of hygienic safety, must be subjected to pasteurization; this heat treatment tends to destroy most of the useful molecules, especially with an antibacterial action.