Honey has been a food product used by humans since immemorial times, both for nutritional and medicinal reasons. Gastronomic recipes contain a great deal of knowledge and cultural heritage, both in the form of traditional ancient recipes as well as innovative and modern recipes. This study intends to investigate the use of honey in gastronomy with the purpose of increasing knowledge regarding the culinary usages of honey, much valued by traditional culture as well as modern practices. An analysis was conducted based on 150 recipes that include honey as an ingredient. A classification of the recipes according to several types of recipes and cooking variables was made, and ingredients were categorised according to the defined classes. Results show that honey is added to recipes essentially as a secondary ingredient in most dishes, while for desserts, it has a more prominent role. Factor analysis revealed two factors: one linked with cooking variables and the other associated with ingredients. Cluster analysis showed five clusters, distinguished according to dish type and ingredient groups, among other distinctive variables. In conclusion, this work showed that honey is a very versatile ingredient with broad applicability in gastronomic preparations.
Citation: Sofia G. Florença, Ana C. Ferrão, Cristina A. Costa, Maria João Barroca, Aida Silva, Soraia I. Pedro, Ofélia Anjos, Raquel P. F. Guiné. Cultural Heritage on gastronomic usages of honey: Recipe analysis and cluster segmentation[J]. AIMS Agriculture and Food, 2025, 10(2): 461-485. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2025023
Honey has been a food product used by humans since immemorial times, both for nutritional and medicinal reasons. Gastronomic recipes contain a great deal of knowledge and cultural heritage, both in the form of traditional ancient recipes as well as innovative and modern recipes. This study intends to investigate the use of honey in gastronomy with the purpose of increasing knowledge regarding the culinary usages of honey, much valued by traditional culture as well as modern practices. An analysis was conducted based on 150 recipes that include honey as an ingredient. A classification of the recipes according to several types of recipes and cooking variables was made, and ingredients were categorised according to the defined classes. Results show that honey is added to recipes essentially as a secondary ingredient in most dishes, while for desserts, it has a more prominent role. Factor analysis revealed two factors: one linked with cooking variables and the other associated with ingredients. Cluster analysis showed five clusters, distinguished according to dish type and ingredient groups, among other distinctive variables. In conclusion, this work showed that honey is a very versatile ingredient with broad applicability in gastronomic preparations.
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Figures(10) / Tables(6)
Sofia G. Florença, Ana C. Ferrão, Cristina A. Costa, Maria João Barroca, Aida Silva, Soraia I. Pedro, Ofélia Anjos, Raquel P. F. Guiné. Cultural Heritage on gastronomic usages of honey: Recipe analysis and cluster segmentation[J]. AIMS Agriculture and Food, 2025, 10(2): 461-485. doi: 10.3934/agrfood.2025023
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