Honey has been used for thousands of years in various forms, primarily as a sweetener. There are several different types of honey depending on the source of the nectar and geographic location, which can impart specific flavors and health benefits. It may be difficult to distinguish between original and counterfeit honey, but there are several ways that you can identify pure honey.
Smell
Raw honey is generally free of any unpleasant or odd smells. However, if it is heated or processed in any way, it may smell burnt or fermenting. If your honey smells like this, it is probably not real.
Color
Pure honey will have a range of colors depending on the flowers from which the bees collected the nectar. The color is also an indication of how diluted it is with water. Heated honey will appear darker than raw pure honey and may have caramelized undertones.
Texture
Because pure raw honey has not been heated or processed in any way, it should retain its natural texture as a liquid syrup. If your honey has crystallized, this indicates that it was processed with heat and is no longer raw. A viscous texture indicates pure raw honey because water was evaporated out of it naturally by the bees before they stored it in the hive.
Thickening ability
Take a bit of honey in a glass and put it in the freezer. If after 30 minutes the honey thickens, then it's real. But if it doesn't thicken, then it's time to go back to the store and ask for your money back. Because you've been ripped off!
Bubbles
Shake the honey. If it has bubbles in it, it's fake.
Check The Ingredient
Next, check the ingredient label for anything other than honey. High fructose corn syrup may have been added to the honey as a sweetener or preservative, so if you see this ingredient listed on the label, it's likely not pure honey.
Smell
Raw honey is generally free of any unpleasant or odd smells. However, if it is heated or processed in any way, it may smell burnt or fermenting. If your honey smells like this, it is probably not real.
Color
Pure honey will have a range of colors depending on the flowers from which the bees collected the nectar. The color is also an indication of how diluted it is with water. Heated honey will appear darker than raw pure honey and may have caramelized undertones.
Texture
Because pure raw honey has not been heated or processed in any way, it should retain its natural texture as a liquid syrup. If your honey has crystallized, this indicates that it was processed with heat and is no longer raw. A viscous texture indicates pure raw honey because water was evaporated out of it naturally by the bees before they stored it in the hive.
Thickening ability
Take a bit of honey in a glass and put it in the freezer. If after 30 minutes the honey thickens, then it's real. But if it doesn't thicken, then it's time to go back to the store and ask for your money back. Because you've been ripped off!
Bubbles
Shake the honey. If it has bubbles in it, it's fake.
Check The Ingredient
Next, check the ingredient label for anything other than honey. High fructose corn syrup may have been added to the honey as a sweetener or preservative, so if you see this ingredient listed on the label, it's likely not pure honey.