Experience Québec
Gourmet’s Pleasures
Honeymoon
This is the story of a love affair that’s been going on for centuries... between man and the bee. From ancient Greece to modern-day Québec, honey has been the basis for this close relationship. The industrious bee continues to offer us the fruits of her labours. In fact, to date it’s the longest honeymoon between two individuals. Why not take a blossom-scented tour?
Man tamed the bee. He cared for her and housed her and, in return, she offered him her greatest gift: honey. It’s now a major industry in Québec that sees some 1,800 tonnes of honey produced every year. This honey is used to make a wide variety of goods ranging from confections to mead to beauty products.From the flower to the hive
True or false: honey doesn’t come from flowers. True! Honey is the result of the interaction between the bee’s digestive juices and the flower nectar it ingests and transports to the hive.
Upon returning to the hive, the bee deposits the nectar into a cell. The worker bees then ventilate the precious liquid until two-thirds of the water contained in the nectar has evaporated. This is the start of the conversion process. For the next 20 minutes, the worker bees will "chew" the nectar, passing it back and forth from the mouth to the honey stomach. Once the process is completed, they will regurgitate all the liquid one last time, which is now honey.From the hive to the store shelves
Beekeepers produce honeys of all flavours, such as apple honey, blueberry honey and buckwheat honey. Each flowering brings new tastes and colours to the precious products.
Honey lends itself to a variety of uses: it’s eaten, it’s used in body care and, after processing, makes a pleasant drink. Soap and body milk are produced from beeswax, pollen and royal jelly. When fermented, honey yields a delicious dessert wine known as mead.Tours that are sure to create a buzz
A number of Québec companies, proud of their work and the product generated by their "protégées", offer guided tours and samplings to the public. From the flower to the cell and from the hive to the sales counter, they’ll be happy to tell you all about the life and work of their busy bees!| Some interesting links to whet your curiosity... and your appetite |
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André Quenneville
Photos: 2. Musée de l'abeille; 3. Intermiel; 4-5. Musée de l'abeille; 6. Intermiel
2008-04-16
