As a honey lover, sometimes it is hard to find the perfect golden nectar for yourself and your family.
With so many options of color, taste, origin, and medical properties it can be easy to get lost in all the information.
Sidr honey, being one of the more expensive options lives up to its price tag.
Sidr honey is thick golden honey produced solely from Sidr trees, it has medical benefits while bringing the Sidr flowers aroma and a rich, sweet, and buttery taste. Genuine Yemen Sidr honey can cost $150 for a 10oz jar. Sidr honey is produced across the middle east from September to October and supply is limited.
If you are interested to know more about this special honey keep reading as we cover:
- Where to find it?
- When to find it?
- The taste
- The honey’s seasonal change
- The benefits
- How to tell if it is real Sidr honey
- How to buy it and how much to expect to pay?
A Brief History And Culture Of Sidr Honey
Written in the Quran, the Sidr tree is one of the plants of paradise. It is said that the first thing that Adam ate after descending to earth was the fruit from the tree, because of its outstanding energy source.
The Sidr tree was used during the time of the Pharaohs where it was used to build palaces and temples. The peasants during these times also used the fruits to make bread.
It is also further believed that the crown of thorns, described in the Bible that Jesus wore when being crucified, was made from the branches of the tree, hence the name “Christ thorn tree”.
Apart from the religious background related to the tree, the Sidr fruit, bark leaves, roots, and branches have been used for medical purposes throughout history.
It is for this reason that the honey has been held with such high esteem, as the properties of the plant find themselves working their way into the honey.
Where And When Is Sidr Honey Produced?
Also known as Yemen Sidr honey, this honey is a monofloral honey produced only from the flower of the Sidr tree (Ziziphus Spina-Christi) and harvested in the Hadramaut region of Yemen.
This tree is an evergreen tree that is also known as the Christ thorn tree, Lote, or Jujube tree.
The Sidr tree is native to India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula.
However, it is known as the Yemen Honey because of Sidr honey’s deep-rooted part in Yemen’s culture.
Real Sidr honey is harvested only once a year after the tree flowers. The Sidr tree flowers for 40 – 60 days a year, usually during the fall month of October.
It is shortly after this that the honey is harvested, which is why it is a winter honey.
What Does Sidr Honey Taste Like?
Due to the nature of the soil that the Sidr tree grows in, and the extensive distance the bees need to travel to harvest the potent nectar, Sidr honey has a distinctive taste.
This taste has been described as rich, lavish, and sweet buttery taste as well as earthy.
Some reviews from yemensidrhoney.com on the taste include:
“The taste is very buttery and deep and pure.”
“unlike any honey I have tasted in the past, mild, delicate, and delicious.”
“The flavor is wholesome and strong in the taste of jujubes.”
“sidr honey of Yemen tastes really delicious. It tastes a lot better than most honey that I have tried.”
“very unique flavor sets it apart from any honey I have ever had.”
One thing remains true with all the descriptions available for the taste of Sidr honey, and that it is unique and easily distinguishable when compared to the taste of others.
How Does Sidr Honey Change Through Seasons?
Sidr honey, when fresh is a bright golden color. You will notice that the color of the honey will change as it ages to a darker red shaded pigment.
But does Sidr honey crystallize over winter?
The short answer to this is no. Honey crystallization has a lot to do with the ratio of fructose and glucose in the honey.
Honey with a high glucose content, such as dandelion honey, will crystalize more rapidly.
Sidr honey has a higher fructose ratio, with glucose levels less than 30%.
This means that the honey will take longer to candy. However, this does not mean that sidr honey will not eventually crystallize, it just means that it is unlikely to turn solid by the following winter.
Another point to consider here is that it is naturally a winter honey, and therefore in its fresh form is a liquid during cold months.
The Benefits Of Sidr Honey
As mentioned before, Sidr honey is among the most expensive kinds of honey on the market.
This, apart from the short harvesting season, largely because of its unique and extensive medical properties.
1. Aphrodisiac
When Sidr honey is mixed with carrot seeds, ginseng, cumin, or olive oil it is known to have powerful aphrodisiac effects.
This mixture is also used to naturally regulate the menstrual cycle and encourage healthy conception.
2. Fighting Cancer
Mixing Sidr honey with grounded cinnamon and consuming it three or more times a day shows promising results in fighting bone cancer.
A study in the Food Science & Nutrition Journal of the US National Library of Medicine found that Sidr honey, in its natural form, inhibited the growth of certain strains of cancer.
The study also found that with the additives of particular compounds, the honey was able to inhibit the growth of different cancer strains.
However, there was also some evidence that for a few strains the growth of the cancer was not slowed down, but as a contradiction, was supported.
Some other cancer cells that Sidr honey has been used to aid with treatment include:
- Brain tumors
- Pancreatic cancer
- Liver cancer
- Breast cancer
With all this said, it is crucial you seek professional medical advice before incorporating this into your health plan.
3. Anti-inflammatory
Yemeni Sidr honey is famous for its high anti-inflammatory properties.
When looked at in a study in the Engineering and Technology International Journal of Nutrition and Food Engineering Sidr honey was found to have extremely high anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects.
These effects are due to the presence of phytochemicals such as flavonoids, steroids, alkaloids, saponins, and tannins.
It is for this reason that the honey can be used for liver problems, stomach ulcers, and respiratory disorders.
4. Heart Attacks
Sidr Honey lowers bad cholesterol levels in the blood. Because the honey decreases the accumulation of fat within blood vessels, it helps relieve stress from the heart.
As a result, adding Sidr honey to your diet will help prevent the risk of heart attacks.
5. Immune System Booster
Some kinds of honey are much higher in antioxidants than others. Sidr honey falls into the category of the higher quality immune boosting honey.
Sidr honey was found to have a significantly higher total phenolic content when compared to others.
The phenolic content of a plant or food is the primary contributor to its antioxidant properties.
Adding Sider honey to your daily diet will, therefore, boost your immune system and leave your body healthier and energized.
6. Other Benefits of Sidr Honey
Although the above mentioned medical properties are the most common and well-reputed benefits of Sidr honey, there are a few others that are worth a mention.
These include:
- Good for sinus problems
- Aids in weight loss
- Amazing antibacterial
- Contains anti-aging properties
- Treats skin problems
How To Tell If Your Sidr Honey Is Real
Sidr honey is rare, and because of this, it is one of, if not the most expensive kinds of honey in the world. Because of its price and rarity, the high demand for the product has led to a lot of counterfeits.
So how can you tell if your Sidr honey is real?
Sight: If you get the honey when it is new it should be bright and golden. As it ages slightly the honey will show a brown-reddish color.
This Brown-red color should stay the same, unlike fake Sidr honey that will continue to change.
Touch: Sidr honey is thick and sticky. You will find that if it is authentic then you will struggle to wash it from your hands.
Smell: Real Sidr honey has an aromatic smell that closely represents that of the Sidr tree flowers.
Taste: Fake Sidr honey or adulterated Sidr honey will be much sweeter than the natural form.
Where To Buy Authentic Sidr Honey
As discussed, there are many “fake” Sidr honey suppliers out there, and without some prior information, it can be hard to know where to source this form of liquid gold.
Here are a few places that you can find your own natural, organic, and authentic Sidr honey:
1. Balqees honey was founded by Riath Hamed who is known as “the Honey Man” because of his passion and extensive knowledge about honey.
Riath is of Yemeni heritage and moved back to Yemen to find the highest quality Sidr honey available.
Price: $40 – $514
Size: 290g
2. HoneyCity is a Singapore based honey supplier that comes with an extremely high review. They have served over half a million parcels throughout Singapore and the Asia Pacific in the past 5 years.
Price: $59 – $65
Size: 300g
3. Yemen Sidr is another reputable Sidr honey provider with amazing reviews that rave about the quality of smell and taste.
This brand of honey is slightly more expensive but thanks to the hundreds of positive reviews, you know what you are getting is the best that there is.
Price: $80 – $300
Size: 285g
Looking for more different and interesting honey varieties? We have done a ton of research for you. If you are interested the article is called, Honey Varieties You Should Discover.
The Wrap Up
Yemeni Sidr honey is amongst the rarest and expensive honey in the world. This is because of its amazing medical properties and limited harvesting time in a year.
To find the best Sidr honey it is important to know where it comes from, as real Sidr honey is monofloral honey and comes only from the nectar of a Sidr tree.
Although it is expensive, if you are a honey connoisseur, then there is no better honey out there.
You truly do not know what good honey is until you have tried Sidr honey.
Maybe you’re like us and enjoy tasting honey from different origins and regions or maybe you’re just realizing that there is more to honey than what you see on the supermarket shelves.
We have done the research for you on a whole range of varieties of honey for you. Below is a list of different types of honey from different floral origins and regions. If you are interested check them out, Honey Varieties You Should Discover.