The origin of honey

Honey is one of the earliest foods that the human beings ever obtained in the natural form.

In the primitive times, no sooner than they had picked up natural honey in the mountain while hunting and had begun to grow livestock, had the people begun to produce honey artificially by growing honeybees.

With the increase in the demand of honey especially in the period of three kingdoms of our country, people grew a lot of honeybees.

The people of Koryo and Palhae also used the honey for food widely.

According to the book《the History of Koryo》, it was written that in the period of Koryo, the state once limited the use of yumilgwa(oil and honey pastry) for parties by law, because the people used honey as much as water to make it.

Since it was 11 th～12th century when sugar was imported to our country, it is supposed that honey had been used as sweet material before then.

According to the book《Sinzungdonggukyozisungram》, edited in the period of the Feudal Joson Dynasty, it was written that all of 26 counties with hyons(administrative unit under county) of Kangwon Province had been recorded as special areas for production of honey, and in the areas of the former Hamgyong Province, honey had been produced in 13 counties and hyons under them among 22 counties with hyons.