Honey

In India, some Hindu gods feed on nothing else; Cupid, the mythic Roman god of love, dipped his arrows in it to sweeten the hearts of lovers; jars of it were entombed with the bodies of Egyptian pharaohs to ease their journey into the afterlife; and in ancient Rome, an offering of this liquid gold was enough to appease and calm the anger of many a disgruntled god. Honey. Thick, lustrous and golden, fragrant and deliciously sweet, honey has held mankind in its thrall for more than ten thousand years. Numerous civilizations have cherished the hard-working honey bee and revered honey itself as a symbol for all that is beautiful, good, and sweet in life. The industrious image of the honey bee is not unwarranted. They are responsible for pollinating most of our crops of fruits and vegetables. Honey bees must collect the nectar of two million flowers and travel thousands of miles to create one pound of honey, and the average honey bee will produce only 1/12 teaspoon of honey in her entire lifetime. With medicinal, religious, and cosmetic as well as culinary uses, the ancient, sticky, trail of honey is seen and felt in many cultures throughout history.