Natural and nutrient-rich, honey is packed with antimicrobial properties and antioxidants that make it not only a healthy sweetener, but also a potent beauty product ingredient and cure for cough, wound, burns and even dry and red eyes.

Buying honey, however, could be challenging because there are many “fakes” in the market, which was why Raffles Makati executive chef Daniel Guevara Quintero considered real honey a true culinary “luxury” like caviar and truffle.

“It’s real luxury because honey, for me, is not different from mushroom like a truffle, right? Like an expensive fish or like other items that are maybe super expensive,” he told this writer in an exclusive interview in 2024.

Based on experience, Quintero shared how he could tell apart real versus fake honey. First, based on the source. He believed that honey bought from the grocery or supermarket could be processed and might contain chemicals, thus, he preferred buying straight from the bee farm. 

“Well, I think, one, when you buy products in the supermarket, you have to know that these are processed food, right? And it has also invaded the honey market. If you have processed food and different items that should be natural, but they have preservatives and different things, right? I think some of those honey that you see in the supermarket might have something like that,” he explained.

Second, according to him, besides sweetness, real honey has a powerful and strong flavor.

“When you try the honey that we produce, that right here in the property, I personally feel a big, big, big difference in the flavor and in the power of the punch that it has brought. If you try a honey that you can buy in a store, when you open from a jar or from a glass, it’s a completely different game.”

Beekeeper Larry Ong, in an exclusive interview with DAILY TRIBUNE at the National Trade Fair organized by the Department of Trade and Industry last February, said: “The only true way to spot if honey is fake or not is through lab tests.”

“The first lab test we could do is  sugar profile. That’s how we see what makes the honey sweet. It could either be from flowers or corn syrup. That’s also what DoST (Department of Science and Technology) did when they invited us beekeepers to test our honey,” he added.

There is also what he called “snake oil science” or albolaryo test that only tells the moisture content of the supposed honey.

Once one has uncovered the truth behind one’s source of honey, the other important step is to enjoy it.

Quintero personally likes pouring honey into corn or tea. In cooking, he uses it to offset the saltiness of ham and as a condiment to granola, yogurt, berries, pancakes, toasted bread and sourdough bread with salted butter at the breakfast buffet.

“You know, a little bit of honey here and there. It’s good. And of course, for desserts. I think it has a lot of versatility, honey,” he vouched.

Of course, real honey could be more expensive than fake ones, so price could also be an indicator of its authenticity. As the saying goes, “No money, no honey!”