White honey comes from bees that collect nectar from light-colored flowers, resulting in a subtle flavor and a range of colors from white to almost transparent. The best white honey comes from bees that pollinate in areas with only one type of flower. It can be used for cooking and medicinal purposes.
Most commercially sold honey is produced by bees that collect nectar from a variety of flower sources, a so-called multi-floral product that tends to be colored an iconic amber hue. Varietal or mono-floral honeys, on the other hand, are largely made from the nectar of a single flower and can be nearly red or virtually colorless. White honey alone can be divided into three categories: white, extra white, and even aqua white. To obtain these types of honeys, beekeepers will focus hives on areas with only a few light-colored flowers, from alfalfa and fireweed to sage and cottonwood.
Beekeepers consider plain white honey the closest to a true light amber coloration. These include honeys made with flowers such as summer thistle and cotton. Not quite clear but distinctly light in color, the extra white variety of honey comes from flowers like Hawaiian kiawe, alfalfa, and sage. The purplish purple glow and pale white linden flowers contribute to the so-called white water field, promoting almost complete transparency.
A general rule honey connoisseurs follow is the darker the hue, the bolder the flavor. This means that the white honey varieties are more likely to have the more subtle aromas. Darker varieties of honey – from wild rose and macadamia flower in the extra light amber family to soybean flower and avacado in the dark amber field – will give a cheeky rendition of the flower they come from.
That doesn’t mean that a white honey can’t be considered exquisite. According to National Geographic, a Hawaiian beekeeper named Richard Spiegel was producing a white honey in the early 21st century that was considered one of the best of any color in the world. Spiegel aims his bees at white Kiewwa trees on the Hawaiian coast.
While white honey is likely to contain a preponderance of nectar and pollen from the flower touted on the label, it is likely to have some from other flowers as well. Some of the finest white honeys are those obtained from bees that pollinate in an area where only one type of flower is usually found. This can be important not only for chefs looking to add a certain isolated flavor to a recipe, but also for herbalists who use honey to supplement their diet with medicinal herbs. Honey-producing white flowers such as sage, fireweed, and white clover have long been used to treat a variety of ailments.
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