Before we get into the sweet details, we want to start this article with a resounding: YES! Honeycomb is 100% edible and actually quite good for you!

Now, on to the science!

Using honeycomb at home: try a beautiful bowl of yogurt with berries and glistening Acacia honeycomb.

What is Honeycomb?

Backing up a bit, honeycomb is a structure built from layers of beeswax hexagons, the building blocks of the hive. Hexagons show up in many places in nature as a flexible but strong shape for building complex structures. You will find hexagons in everything from plant stems to bones! 

In the hive, honeycomb is used for many purposes, from incubating new broods of bees to storing the hive's source of energy: honey. 

The honeycomb we eat is the hexagonal beeswax structure filled with honey and capped with more beeswax for storage. As we've learned previously, beeswax has many purposes, not the least of which is keeping honey fresh. And while you might not want to take a bite out of one of our beeswax candles (mmmm, waxy), the beeswax is 100% edible and when eaten as part of honeycomb contributes a lovely texture. 

Is Honeycomb Edible?

Obviously the honey in honeycomb is edible, but what about the beeswax? Well, like other waxes, beeswax is a lipid (fatty acids that are insoluble in water). It is 100% edible, though the texture is not for everyone. 

In fact, eating raw honeycomb is one of the best ways to get the most health benefits from your honey. Honey in the honeycomb is in its rawest form, so it will have the most enzymes, vitamins, and minerals of any type of raw honey. This is because as soon as the honey is removed from the comb and exposed to air, it does absorb some moisture from the air, diluting its nutritional value, though only by a small percentage.

So, How Do You Eat Honeycomb?

Honeycomb can be consumed in a number of ways, but our all-time-favorite will always be grabbing a spoonful and munching on it like gum as we go about daily tasks. 

That said, we've put together a list of ways to use honeycomb at home, for everyday or special occasions!

• As a straightforward snack, by the spoonful!
• Spread on toast or warmed english muffins or scones
• As added texture for parfaits
• On crackers with sharp cheese and maybe a little ham or cured meat
• As part of charcuterie boards
• As garnish on fish, meat, or vegetables

Still on the fence about honeycomb? Join us in our Honey Room to try a sample of honeycomb and discover its divine texture and sweetness for yourself!