What is Acacia Honey.

Acacia honey is honey that has been produced from the acacia flower, it has a light colour, in fact finer strands appear to be clear, and it has a light and fragrant taste, making this a popular honey for taking straight as well as used in baking and as a food accompaniment. It is recognised for its medicinal and healing properties, of which numerous studies have been carried out highlighting the benefits of taking Acacia honey on a regular basis, as well as using externally for skin treatments. Another fact is that honey is one of the only natural foods on the planet that never goes off! (if stored properly.).

Hungarian Acacia Trees.

Although acacia trees are not native to Hungary, in fact their roots (pardon the pun) are indigenous to North America, as well as Africa, however their resilience to soils, enabling them to be planted almost anywhere makes them a popular choice in Hungary and their initial role was to bind quicksand and reduce erosion, reclaiming back precious land for both wildlife and agricultural purposes. These trees now make up 23% of Hungarian forests. Also, to clarify at this point, the Acacia is not a tree, but a large genus of shrub, and is a subspecies of the pea family, but because of their appearance and height, tree is an apt description. The Acacia has small pinnate leaves, that almost have the appearance of feathers due to the fact hey have smaller leaves on the two sides of the common stalk, most of the Acacia species also carry thorns to protect their seed pods (which noticeably dangle from the branches) from being eaten by animals. The flowers of the Acacia are small, delicate and have a strong fragrant aroma, this is what gives the Acacia honey its unique flavour. The Acacia is an evergreen tree retaining its leaves all year round. A Fact about the Acacia is that in Australia, natives call them Wattles. In all, there are approximately twenty-three species of the Acacia, where its main family (legume) Fabaceae and Mimosoid subfamily has around thirteen hundred species worldwide. The Acacia generally has a long life-span and its fast growing, deep roots allows it to survive as well as thrive in the most diverse conditions.

The Environmental Factor.

One of the key factors of word food production is sustainability, and when it comes to the production of acacia honey, there is a whole wealth of environmental benefits and sustainability making this honey one of the most productive and eco-friendly foodstuffs we can consume. So, what does make acacia honey production so eco-friendly? Well firstly, the bees, who gather the nectar, which in the process also carries pollen to other flowers allowing them to flourish and grow, they return to the hive with the nectar which is then used to make the honey, all of this has a zero-carbon factor, in fact it can be classed as a negative carbon factor as the bees are contributing to the wellbeing of the environment. The honey is then gathered by the beekeepers, this is done by scraping off the honeycomb (or wax), typically a hive will produce anywhere between 22-25 kilos per year. Again, this process has almost a zero-carbon factor, the honey is then bottled, or shipped for bottling as a finished product. Other than the transportation and automation of adding to jars, there is virtually no impact on our planet's resources, and honey is a renewable source of food.

Hungary and Honey.

Hungary is one of the biggest honey exporters in the European Union, and with over 15,000 beekeepers in the country it accounts for over 20,000 tonnes of natural honey being produced annually and with 75% going to export and 25% supplied for in-country consumption. We spoke with Peter Gombicz, and asked his thoughts on being a Hungarian Beekeeper and what his work means to him: ‘I have been doing my own beekeeping since 2000, before that I helped my uncle for several years, that's when I got to know the special life of bees.

A lot has changed since the beginning; due to the now extreme weather conditions bringing hot and arid days, there is not enough pollen for the bees, which is essential for their development. Also, the spread of pests, diseases, the varroa mite for instance, viruses, and non-native bee species has also had a big impact on the production of natural honey. When selling honey, it is a big challenge to compete with cheap, non-natural, and counterfeit honeys, but it is good to see that more people are looking to source their honey from the producer because they trust their product more! My own goal has always been and always will be to produce the highest quality and completely natural products!’

In Conclusion.

So, next time you sit down and smear some delicious natural acacia honey on your toast or croissant, add a spoonful to your beverage or simply enjoy the sweet delight of tasting straight from the jar, think of the journey it has taken to get from flower to table and appreciate, people such as Peter who ensure we get the very best of nature’s bounty, as well as celebrate one of the finest and ecofriendly foods on the planet, not to mention the many health benefits associated with taking Acacia Honey.