Yemeni honey has a reputation as one of the finest in the world. This is because of the land’s vegetation and fertile pasture for bees which results in many varieties of honey which taste incredible. Genuine Yemeni honey is so highly prized that its possession is considered a status symbol in Arab culture and being offered Yemeni honey when entering a Yemeni home means that you are truly an honoured guest.
Cave honey is difficult to find and harvest. Its origin, the work involved in collection and the cost of transporting small quantities help explain its price. A high price is not evidence of a treatment benefit.
Yemen's recorded history started three thousand years ago, being on the main spice route from the East to Europe. It was known as Saba (Sheba), and was a significant power in the world at that time. The Queen of Sheba's visit to King Solomon appears in both the Holy Qur’an and the Bible. The reputation and high demand for Yemen's honey also dates from this period, famous to this day for its high quality, potent medicinal qualities and nourishment for the body.
Honey and Yemeni culture
My own connection with Yemeni honey is part of my culture and an important part of my life. I grew up in Yorkshire, UK but my roots are in Yemen. My family moved to the UK in the 1950s and brought with them many of the strong traditions. One of my favourite memories from childhood is eating Bint Al Sahn (Yemeni Honey Cake) with lashings of Sidr honey. My mother and I still make it today when we get together.
Sidr and Elb are the trees that provide some of the most well-known and most expensive Yemeni honeys, the trees are so special they are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. The Yemeni honey we harvest for Balqees is from Wadi Do’an in the Hadramout Region, Usaimat in the north, and the Socotra archipelago which I've visited many times and have got to know well the nomadic beekeepers who use traditional methods to havest the honey which they supply us direct. Raw honey from these places is precious and rare as it is cultivated in challenging environments and harvested by tribal clans in what can be best described as a cottage industry
The work is labour intensive with the production and delivery from both the bees and human. You can still find traditional beekeeping methods in Yemen, as described in the book, The World History of Beekeeping and Honey Hunting by Ethel Eva Crane. Bees have protected themselves from the intense heat by making their hives in caves in the mountains for centuries. The book explains how the people of the mountains learned to mimic the cave environment and create their own versions and cultivated their honey that way, learning from nature. The use of small wood, cane or pottery hives for both stationary and nomadic beekeeping are still practised and the techniques of beekeeping and honey extraction remain mostly intact, although some modern methods have been introduced in recent years.
Yemeni honeys offer different flavour profiles, and tasting them side by side is one of the pleasures of our work. Balqees UAE honey fusions use Yemeni Sidr Do’ani as their honey base.
Kahouf or cave honey from Yemen
Kahouf means cave honey. Our original sourcing story describes wild hives in caves around Wadi Amd, Yemen, and the demanding work of finding and collecting this honey. Quantities vary by harvest; the current product page is the place to check availability.
Enjoying cave honey as food
Cave honey is a food, not a medical-grade wound product. Its traditional reputation does not establish that it treats liver disease, ulcers, infections or surgical wounds. Choose it for its provenance and taste.
Taste a little on its own, then try it with bread or a simple yoghurt. Honey is mainly sugar, so portion size matters. Never give any honey to an infant under 12 months.
For Balqees, finding honey from these remote areas has involved years of exploration and relationships with beekeepers. That sourcing story and the pleasure of tasting the honey are the reasons we share it.
