Do you know the Jujube honey from Yemen?

Origin of Jujube honey 
 

At the time, Yemen had a relatively rich agriculture with mainly coffee, incense and honey. Its strategic position along the trade routes of the Golf of Aden favored the passage of traders from the region.

Today, due to geopolitical problems that have plagued many decades, Yemen has become one of the poorest on our planet. Agriculture is destroyed and only the harvest of honey which is in the Koran, represented as a sacred food, remains. The Koran represents its benefits in the sura, The bees: 

[And here is] what your lord taught to the bees: “Take mansions in the mountains, the trees and the trellises that men make * Then eat all kinds of fruit, and follow the paths of your Lord, made easy for you. From their belly comes out a liquor, in various colors, in which there is healing for people. There is really a proof there for the people who reflect.” Verses 68 and 69.

Yemen honey is a rare honey. It is harvested in the arid zones of the Middle East and in particular in the region of Dawan. He is nicknamed Sidr Maliky (Royal Jujube). It comes from a thorny shrub, the jujube, which produces a small fruit with a reddish appearance.

Dawan region, Yemen

The plant and its fruit

The jujube tree reaches a height of 5 to 12 meters and has shiny green leaves. This plant is very vigorous, it can resist low temperatures, which can reach -15°.

The jujube tree

When not ripe, the jujube is green in color, it darkens over time to become purple-black when ripe. Its taste then becomes similar to that of a date. This fruit is known for its medicinal properties, it is used to treat throat ailments, lung problems and aids digestion.

The fruit : jujube

The jujube contains vitamin C, it is a very good antioxidant and an excellent healing for wounds. After the jujube has been crushed and turned into porridge, it is used in some Yemeni villages by women as a natural beauty mask.

Nectar

Bees collect the precious nectar from the jujube flower in November and it is harvested at the end of the year.

The unique taste of Yemen honey with the scent of hazelnuts, comes from the nature of the soil and the ancestral way in which it is harvested, without any machine. Its golden, transparent and creamy texture gives it the nickname "Yemen black gold". It is one of the rare honeys to never crystallize whatever the temperature.

Yemen jujube honey and cooking

Its use

It can be consumed on an empty stomach, in the morning before breakfast, its special taste will gently awaken your palate. On a slice of bread or a piece of goat cheese, honey from Yemen will bring a very subtle originality. Honey from Yemen is particularly effective in awakening our senses when mixed in a glass of warm water with ginger.

A teaspoon of this honey on your chocolate profiteroles or your apple pie will bring a little note of exquisite hazelnut.

A recipe

A recipe for winter ailments:

1. In a saucepan of water, let infuse for 5 minutes a small piece of ginger, a handful of thyme, 2 slices of untreated lemon and a lemon juice (previously squeezed).
2. When everything is infused, and has cooled a little, add a spoon of Yemen Jujube honey.

NB: Honey should not be added when the water is still too hot. It would kill its benefits.

A recipe for donuts with jujube honey and almonds:

• 280 g flour
• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 80 g of Jujube honey
• 1 lemon juice
• 50 g roasted flaked almonds
• Sunflower oil

1. Mix the egg and the flour
2. Roll the dough into a ball. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Spread it out on a work surface sprinkled with cornflour. Fold it in half and spread it thinly
3. Cut it into 1.5 cm strips
4. Roll up the strips and tighten the ends
5. Cook them in hot oil. Drain
6. Dip the donuts in the heated honey (over very low heat not to reach more than 30 °) with the lemon then sprinkle with the toasted almonds
7. Taste and voila 😉