Honey: expeditions of a sweet tooth

Whenever I go to the supermarket I have a lookout for honey and check to see if there is anything interesting on the shelves. On the odd occasion there may be something interesting. When I go back home to my parents place one thing I take note of is the honey at home and I invariably ask Mum where she purchased it. However among the places I have been in search of good honey one place stands out in my memory: the Cameron Highlands. The piece of writing below was inspired by a trip I had there a while back. The article appeared in the Sunday New Straits Times, December 11, 2011, page 20.

What's for breakfast... honey?

'BREAKFAST at home is often a rather quick affair. With work and traffic ahead of me, I find that taking time to enjoy a nice relaxing breakfast is increasingly difficult to attain. Today's breakfast was no different; rushed and speedy. However, despite the rush which is accompanied by the sound of the morning radio and the ever present need to cajole the children out of bed and onto school, I made sure that I ate something before entering the morning fray on the roads. Quite often in my haste, I have toast and a cup of tea. While I could wax lyrical on the joys of tea, it is what I put on the toast that is the subject today. What could it be that I put on my toast that deserves such special mention?

Well, that special thing happens to be honey. Yes, honey! Now perhaps some readers are already beginning to turn the page; after all, what could possibly be interesting about honey? Well, the honey I have in the kitchen cabinet is special to me. It trades on the fact that it is tropical forest honey. I always search for it in the local supermarket. Now, I have been a fan of honey since childhood and I recall going with my parents to local producers on the other side of the mountain where I was brought up and buying fresh locally produced honey. However, I must confess a certain emotional attachment to tropical jungle honey and the reason for this lies in a story I intend to share with you.

Over 10 years ago, I went with my family on a short holiday to Cameron Highlands. My father had in the past been a tea planter in India and Africa, and so I knew something of the fact that Cameron Highlands is famous for its tea. We visited the local tea plantations, which I wholeheartedly recommend to you if you have not done so already, and toured the highlands. However, it was what occurred on our way back to Kuala Lumpur that sticks in my memory till now. We drove down the old mountain road that winds itself through the jungle. Along the way were numerous stalls selling an array of artefacts and objects.

However, it was a small table on a bend in the road that caught our attention. On top of the table were some old bottles filled with an opaque looking substance. Beyond the bend in the road was the jungle and as I looked up the canopy of the trees I beheld a fascinating sight. Beehives! What was on this small table hanging onto the side of an old mountain road was honey. Not any old honey. This was jungle honey known as Tualang honey. The colour of the honey in the old bottles was black and had a deep and attractive resonance. Inside this thick black beautiful honey lay a piece of honeycomb. This natural raw black honey that I came across with my family and relatives was simply stunning. Not only did it look fantastic but the taste was simply outstanding. I admit at the time I had never come across a honey like it. Later on, I found out that this honey is not only of great taste but also possesses significant health properties as well.

Researchers at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) have shown that Tualang honey has similar properties to the well-known Manuka honey. Research shows that the health properties of Tualang honey are superior to Manuka honey and that the former has other compounds not shown in other honey studied previously[1]. 

According to research carried out in USM: "Tualang honey has been found to improve healing of superficial and deep degree wounds due to trauma or burns, leaving lesser scars and faster healing. Honey is also shown to be more receptive to these patients as it is soothing to the skin unlike conventional modern dressings that 'burn' the skin."[2] For a more in-depth and excellent research study on Tualang honey, see: Abdulmlik A Ghashm, Nor H Othman, Mohammed N Khattak, Noorliza M Ismail and Rajan Saini, Antiproliferative effect of Tualang honey on oral squamous cell carcinoma and osteosarcoma cell lines, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2010, 10:49[3].

I must admit that when I first tasted the famous Malaysian "jungle honey", I was completely unaware of its other health properties. My interest was in its exquisite taste and quality. This is still my core interest! Every time I spread honey on my toast or add some to my cup of tea, I am reminded of that small stall on a beautiful road winding down the Cameron Highlands. The name Tualang honey may not be on everyone's lips but for what it's worth I think it should be. I remember it every breakfast and will never forget that simple stall where the product of a beautiful and awe-inspiring forest produced a similarly beautiful and sumptuous honey. Such memories make breakfast something special.'

References

[1] Nor Hayati Othman, "Honey a Potential Treatment for Lupus, Cancer, Aids, Report from the 2nd International Conference on the Medicinal Use of Honey,"  Apitherapy News(2010), https://apitherapy.blogspot.com/2010/02/honey-potential-treatment-for-lupus.html.

[2] USM, Transforming Higher Education for a Sustainable Tomorrow: Laying the Foundation 2010  (Pulau Pinang: Penerbit USM, 2011)., p.292

[3] Abdulmlik A Ghashm et al., "Antiproliferative Effect of Tualang Honey on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Osteosarcoma Cell Lines,"  BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 10, no. 49 (2010), www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/10/49.