Honey is a natural product of sweet taste produced by bees by means of the natural processing of the nectar they collect from flowers. Nectar is an aqueous solution comprising various sugars that the bees turn into the sweetener we call honey. Moreover, the bees produce honey from the honeydews they collect from the lively parts of the plant as well as the secretions of the insects that inhabit them. The different honey varieties are determined according to the nectar and honeydew of the plants and/or trees, which the bees had absorbed. This originates either from only one plant and/or tree, or their miscellany.
Since sugar had been unknown in ancient times, honey had been inseparable from the daily diet and, of course, the pastries that the ancient Greeks favored. Honey was considered to be a God sent gift, since they believed it fell from the sky, alongside the morning dew, on top of the flowers and leaves in order for the bees to pick and collect it. This belief could today be considered as naïve, but back then honey was precious and necessary to them, that they thought otherwise. Obviously, nobody ignored the nutritional properties of honey and they praised it at all times. In particular, the highest praised honey came from Attica, the renowned thyme honey. This does not mean however that only Attica produced honey. Apiculture was budding in many places such as the islands and Egypt. Honey was so important to the ancient people, that very often they filled big jars mixing honey and wine, to make offers both to their Gods and the souls of the dead. Therefore, no one can deny the importance they placed on honey and its properties.