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Liquid or Crystallised?
Honey is commonly pictured as a dense, brilliant, amber-coloured
liquid. This stereotype has conditioned honey consumption for a
long time. So much so, indeed, that any honey that did not fit the
stereotype was not appreciated, or was refused. Today consumers
are more informed. They know that all honey is liquid when it is
extracted, but then most honeys crystallise, in a time-span going
from a few days to a few months.
Crystallisation
is a natural process. Most kinds of honey simply contain a greater
quantity of dissolved sugar than can be permanently maintained in
solution (supersaturated solution).
The choice between liquid and crystallised honey is a question of
personal taste. If a high quality product is to be chosen, it should
be kept in mind that outside the harvest season, that is after the
late fall, the only honeys to maintain a liquid state are acacia,
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