Taif Gov. Fahd bin Muammar last week opened the annual Taif honey festival.
The month-long event has been organized by the Beekeepers Cooperative Association, which aims to introduce the Taif honey to the visitors and residents of Taif.
Al-Qadi is one of the participants in the festival. He said he sold Sidr, Samra, Saif and Talha honey, among others. Samra honey gives the body energy, while Sidr honey is recommended for those suffering from cough and asthma. Talha honey is used to treat urinary tract infections.
“Each type of honey is called after the tree the bees got the nectar from, except the Saif (summer) honey, which comes from the medical herbs distributed in the desert. We can recognize each kind from its color, smell and sometimes the pieces of plants inside the honey, Al-Qadi said.
He also explained how to differentiate fake from original honey by smelling and tasting the honey and looking at its color. However, he said, it mainly depends on the trader’s consciousness whether he is selling good or fake honey.
Some types of honey cost SR 30 to SR 40, but the pure, high-quality types sold at the festival cost up to SR 500 per kilo. “In Egypt,” Al-Qadi explained, “we even have artificial honey made from potatoes and corn.”
Al-Qadi also gave Arab News a free recipe to treat hepatitis with honey. “My brother had hepatitis and I sent him Sidr honey. Every morning, before eating his breakfast, he used to take a spoonful of honey, and after two months the hepatitis had gone.”
One of the exhibitors, Mohammad Al-Harthy, said that his family had been in the honey business for generations, before satellite channels and advertisements reported on the miracles of honey.
“Honey is good for immunity and blood. Either taken pure or dissolved in a cup of hot water, honey is like a medicine. Taking honey before meals is very beneficial,” he said.
According to Al-Harthy, if the honey is pure and a good, it can be sold for as much as SR 400 to SR 500. “Saudi honey is one of the best in the world due to its purity. It has won many prizes in international exhibitions," he said.
Exhibitors at Taif fair speak of honey's qualities
