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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2017 35 HONEY is a natural occurring food that derives its well-known sweetness from monosaccha- raides, fructose and glucose. Honey is produced by bees as a form of storage for the winter months, though beekeepers have developed methods of making the bees produce excess honey that can be used for human consump- tion. Through a process of regurgita- tion and partial digestion nectar collected from flowers is trans- formed into honey and stored in honeycomb cells. However as the honey is still high in water con- tent and natural yeasts sugars in the honey begin to ferment at this stage. In the hive bees con- tinuously fan the honey with their wings, enhancing evaporation and preventing the fermentation pro- cess. Ripe honey, as removed from the hive by a beekeeper, has a long shelf life, and will not ferment if properly sealed. The main uses for honey are in cooking, baking and as a spread or as an addition to beverages such as tea and as a sweetener in some commercial beverages. Nutritionally, honey is made up of a variety of sugars includ- ing fructose, glucose, sucrose and maltose as well as trace amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxi- dants. It is a healthier choice than sugar as, though it contains more calories than table sugar, the sug- ars are simple and do not need to be broken down before the body can absorb them, giving honey a healthier glycaemic index. Honey is classified by the floral source of the nectar from which it is made. It can be from specific flower nectars, from indeterminate origin or blended after collection. To produce monofloral honey, beekeepers have to ensure that bees have access to only one type of flower, though due to difficul- ties in containing the bees a small proportion of honey will be from the additional nectar of other flowers. European examples of monofloral honey include thyme, thistle, heather, acacia, dandelion, sunflower, honeysuckle and varie- ties from lime and chestnut trees. Most commercial honey is blend- ed after collection. The Maltese islands have been famous for their unique blended and spicy honey since ancient times. The characteristics of Maltese honey are attributed to the vast range of wild flowers within the Maltese Islands. The honey is a blend of the seasonal flora, and not of just one particular crop, al- though the largest amount of pol- len and nectar that influences the taste, include wild thyme, citrus and carob. About 1000 species of mostly wild flora flowers are iden- tified in Malta like Wild Thyme, White Clover, Bitumen Clover, White Mustard, and Borage. The carob, citrus and stone fruit trees also help to give the honey a more special taste. Bees may travel as far as 5 miles away from their hive and visit more than two hundred flowers to gather enough nectar to make just a drop of honey. The honey bee is known to have inhabited the Maltese Islands for centuries and a sub-species has been identified as different from other Mediterranean bees being slightly smaller in size, dark in colour with apparently no yellow bands, incredibly resistant to dis- eases, viscous and highly active. High-quality honey can be dis- tinguished by fragrance, taste, and consistency. Ripe, freshly collected, high- quality honey at 20°C (68°F) should flow from a knife in a straight stream, without breaking into separate drops. After falling down, the honey should form a bead. The honey, when poured, should form small, temporary lay- ers that disappear fairly quickly, indicating high viscosity. If not, it indicates excessive water content (over 20%) of the product. Honey with excessive water con- tent is not suitable for long-term preservation In jars, fresh honey should ap- pear as a pure, consistent fluid, and should not set in layers. With- in a few weeks to a few months of extraction, many varieties of hon- ey crystallize into a cream-colored solid. A fluffy film on the surface of the honey (like a white foam), or marble-coloured or white-spotted crystallization on a container's sides, is formed by air bubbles trapped during the bottling pro- cess. Fine food of the week Food Ingredients • 100g polenta • 100g plain flour • 1 ½ tsp baking powder • ½ tsp salt • 2 tsp lemon zest • 4 large eggs • 100g sugar • 50g light brown sugar • 273ml (1 cup) olive oil • 340g (½ cup) honey • 60g (¼ cup) fresh cream Honey Lemon Syrup • 1 cup honey • 1 cup water • Two 3-inch strips lemon zest • Juice of 1 lemon • Lemon slices, to garnish Method 1. To make the honey, lemon syrup, add the honey, water and the lemon zest to a sauce- pan over medium-high heat. 2. Stir and lightly simmer for 25 mins. 3. Squeeze in the lemon juice, and then remove from the heat. Remove the lemon zest and cool completely before using. 4. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 5. Combine the polenta, flour, baking powder, salt and lem- on zest together in a bowl and mix well. 6. Add the eggs and both sug- ars to the bowl of a standing mixer and beat until smooth, 3 to 4 mins. 7. Add the oil, honey and fresh cream into the egg mixture and beat until combined, 1 to 2 mins. 8. Add the dry ingredients, a lit- tle at a time, until blended. 9. Pour the batter into a greased baking tin and bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, ap- prox. 30 mins. 10. Allow to cool for 30 mins, then remove from the pan and place on a cake plate. 11. Poke holes into the cake using a toothpick, fork or knife and drizzle with approx. half the syrup. 12. Garnish with lemon slices. 13. Serve with the extra syrup on the side. This recipe first appeared on Gour- met Today TV, aired on TVM on 22 April, 2016. Recipe of the week Polenta and honey cake By Michael Diacono Natural sugars from natural sources Good quality honey should form small, temporary layers which disappear quickly when poured