Buying Real Honey or Raw honey is not so easy, since deforestation or climate changes all over the world.
When I was a boy, I went with my Grandfather to buy Honey from the local tribes near our village. Those tribes live in the forest. They sell the products they ‘collect’ from forest to villagers. In turn, villagers sell those products to city people.
My grandfather always told me “don’t buy honey from shops, they are not real honey, they may be synthesized or duped honey.”
He also specify tips to Identify a real honey.
Take a glass of water. Let the single drop of Honey should fall into the glass. See how the honey drop dissolves in the water.
First honey drop should reach the bottom of the glass, without dissolving. If it starts dissolving before reaching the bottom, it is not real honey. After reaching the bottom, it has to wait for a while, before starts dissolving in the water.
It has to start dissolving slowly. If dissolving is quicker, it is not a real honey.
How long a honey drop takes to dissolve in the water, that is one of the way to identify it’s quality.
My grandfather took to me tribes in the middle of the forest. Then we walked with them. They have already spotted a honey hive. After reaching the honey hive, they asked as to smear a natural cream(?) over our exposed body parts.
Then, they started heating the honey hive. They seems to be get used with bee sting.
Once bees left the hive, they claimed the tree and cut the parts of the hive, and squish it, capture the squished honey in the vessel, they carry.
Then we returned to their hut. They pour the honey collected just now in the bottles and handed over to my grandfather. He paid money to them.
It took half a day to reach the tribe’s hut by foot. Almost full day time spent in buying raw honey directly from tribesmen. My grandfather used to say, this is real honey. Raw honey is real honey.
It is not possible to get raw honey directly from tribes or forest when monsoon fails or drought times. Bee collect honey from Flowers. If no rain, there will be no trees, plants and there will be no flowers. If there is no flowers, there will be no natural honey. We used to buy honey from shops, supermarkets though they are synthesized or duped in these periods. Something is better than nothing.
We buy from tribesmen through village mediators even nowadays. There are known and unknown health benefits of Honey to mankind.
Quran recommends Honey. Which means, honey is a God recommended food.