Journal

Sidr honey, explained properly

Each of these answers one question, in full, including the parts that do not flatter us.

6 min read

Yemeni Sidr honey vs Manuka: an honest comparison

Manuka has the marketing and the grading system. Sidr has the rarity and the harvest window. Here is how the two actually differ, including where Manuka wins.

Read it

5 min read

Why Yemeni Sidr is not the same as other Sidr honey

Sidr trees grow across Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and beyond. The honey they produce is not interchangeable, and the reason comes down to water.

4 min read

How to eat Sidr honey (and how not to)

Heat, storage, dosage and the one common mistake that wastes expensive honey. A practical guide to getting the most from a jar.

5 min read

The long history of Yemeni honey

Yemen's honey trade is older than most countries. A short history of Hadramout beekeeping, from the incense routes to the present day.

An ancient Ziziphus spina-christi, thorny and low-branched, standing alone on cracked ground at golden hour

6 min read

The Sidr tree: what it is, where it grows, and why it matters

Ziziphus spina-christi — the thorny tree behind Sidr honey. Where it grows, why it survives on almost no water, and what that has to do with the honey's price.

A clay bowl of finely ground green Sidr leaf powder beside piles of dried Ziziphus leaves on a stone worktop

5 min read

Sidr leaf powder: what it is and how it is used

Sidr leaf powder is dried, ground Ziziphus spina-christi leaf, used for centuries as a hair and skin wash. What it is, how it is prepared, and what it will not do.

Overhead view of the four things a Sidr tree yields — a jar of honey, ground leaf powder, dried and fresh fruit, and a piece of timber

5 min read

The other things the Sidr tree produces

The Sidr tree gives honey, a date-like fruit, leaf powder for washing and dense timber. What each one is, how it is used, and which are worth seeking out.

Widely spaced Sidr trees growing unirrigated across a stony arid valley floor, bare ground between each one

6 min read

What makes Yemeni Sidr different from other Sidr honey

Sidr honey is also produced in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and India from the same tree. The difference is water, altitude and harvest method — here is what each one changes.

Ancient stone agricultural terraces stepping down a steep Yemeni mountainside towards a deep valley

5 min read

Why Yemeni honey is unusual

Yemen has produced honey for millennia and its honey commands prices little else matches. The reasons are geography, an old beekeeping culture, and very small yields.

A jar of thick unfiltered amber honey on a windowsill, backlit so the suspended bubbles and traces of wax are visible

5 min read

What raw honey actually means, and how to use it every day

Raw means unheated and unfiltered — but the word is unregulated, so it proves nothing on its own. How to tell, how to store it, and how to use it daily.

A glass of warm milk with two cinnamon quills, beside a shallow dish of dark amber honey on a worn wooden table

4 min read

Honey and cinnamon: why the pairing works

Honey and cinnamon is one of the oldest pairings in Arab cooking. What each brings, which cinnamon to use, and four ways it is eaten in Yemen.

Bint al-sahn, the Yemeni layered honey bread, on a metal tray with honey pooled over the golden top and a dish of clarified butter beside it

6 min read

Four Yemeni dishes that use honey

Bint al-sahn, masoub, honeycomb bread and honey with labneh — four Yemeni dishes built around honey, with notes on which honey suits each.

A jar of dark amber honey with a section of honeycomb suspended inside, beside a plain open gift box on linen

5 min read

Sidr honey as a gift: what to know before you buy one

Honey makes an unusually good gift — it keeps indefinitely, needs no sizing and suits almost everyone. Which Sidr to choose, and the two people not to give it to.