Honey has been used for thousands of years to season foods of all kinds. Sugar and salt are relatively recent condiments, and ones that we should learn to do if not without, with much less, as our society's blood pressure begins to rise, heart disease and diabetes become increasingly more widespread. What is sad about our over-use of salt and sugar, aside from what it is doing to our health, is that we have practically forgotten about the joys of fresh herbs and the various honeys. You will find flavours you never imagined, and you will make dishes that evoke inevitable exclamations of 'What is this marvelous taste?'
Honey vs. Sugar
How many times have I listened to and participated in arguments over the virtues of honey over sugar? I have always avoided sugar in my cooking and substituted honey, not because honey is really less fattening than sugar, for it is a sugar and should be eaten in moderation, but because it is a less concentrated form of sugar and easier for the body to assimilate. Sugar is so refined that the warning signals, which would normally prevent us from eating too much of it are no longer present. There is a natural 'gag factor' in honey, as there is in other highly concentrated sweets like dried fruit. We begin to feel sick before we have eaten too much. But beyond the nutritional considerations, honey is a gastronomic treasure, and has been valued by cooks and eaters for centuries. It is not just a sweetener, but a seasoning like herb or spices, which can add character to many savory dishes, soups, vegetables, salads, as well as desserts.
Honey is heavier than sugar and had a higher liquid content, so it cannot be substituted measure for measure. A teaspoonful of honey has more calories that a teaspoonful of sugar because it weighs more. But it is also sweeter, so you need less than a teaspoon to get the same sweetening effect. Gram for gram honey is actually less calorific.
By Deborah Rowe
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com
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