Pliny described honey as ‘Sweet of the heaven’, perhaps writing this on the reusable writing pads the Romans made from beeswax. Human relations with bees and honey go back at least 15,000 years, as depicted in South African rock art. Ancient Egyptian tombs contained beeswax figurines and sealed jars of honey, still edible after thousands of years. Bees and honey-hunting feature in the 5000-year-old Indian Rig Veda.
In addition to producing honey to sweeten the world, bees are vital to our food supply as they pollinate two-thirds of the world’s crops and flowers. A single bee will visit 7,000 flowers in a single day. Plus, bees can protect us in many ways. The phrase ‘to make a bee line’ comes from Phoenician sailors releasing bees to lead their ship safely to landfall. Romans used bees in tunnels to fight off enemies; the Macedonians used pottery hives of wild bees as missiles, catapulting them into enemy armies or ships.
Bees still play a part in today’s high-tech warfare; the Viet Cong trained them as mine detectors and UK researchers have used bees, which are cheaper and quicker than dogs, to trace explosives, drugs, radioactive metals and pesticides. In Germany bees have been used to detect pollution levels.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Summer 2023-Ausgabe von Sommelier India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Summer 2023-Ausgabe von Sommelier India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Intimate and Welcoming
Reserve a table at AI Garamond in the centre of Turin for a taste of authentic Piedmonteset and Sicilian cuisine
Tribute to the Kerala Kitchen
Kappa Chakka Kandhari is a restaurant like no other. Chef Regi Mathew, the presiding genius, speaks to Kaveri Ponnapa about how the award-winning restaurant, specialising in the homecooking of Kerala, came into being
SWIRLING IN THE DIGITAL ERA - How social media is influencing wine culture
The ever-evolving world of wine is currently witnessing a significant shift towards social media. Devati Mallick steers us through the many ways one can navigate the digital landscape with a simple click, tap, or swipe
Bottling It - The times they are a-changing
Wine in glass bottles has been traditional for a very long time but now change is a-foot, says Carol Wright. The carbon foot print of the glass bottle is not planet friendly
BANDOL - The ruby in the Provence crown
If you thought Provence was only about rosés, you are wrong. Bandol, one of the more prestigious appellations of Provence, is renowned for its bold and structured red wines. Here's what Elizabeth Gabay MW has to say
A Splendid Septet of Wines
Raymond Blake tastes seven vintages of the Burgundy premier cru, Gevrey-Chambertin 'Aux Combottes', from Domaine Dujac, owned by the Seysses family
CYPRUS Dawn of a New Era
On a recent visit to Cyprus, Rosemary George MW is struck by the island's numerous indigenous grape varieties and high altitude vineyards
Madeira The world's longest living wine
Carol Wright on what makes Madeira the 'hottest' thing in wine
AT THE FOOT OF MOUNT ETNA
Altitude, fertile volcanic ash, and abundant sunlight create a unique environment for vineyards
Putting their best foot forward
Craig Wedge is bullish about the rising quality of Australian wines entering the Indian market