Can You Eat Honeycomb? What It Is, How It Tastes and How to Serve It

What is honeycomb?

Honeycomb is the six-sided wax structure bees build inside the hive. Worker bees make the wax from glands on their abdomen and shape it into cells, which they use to raise young and to store pollen and honey. Comb that holds honey is capped with a thin layer of wax once the honey is ripe.

When you buy honeycomb, you are buying a section of that capped comb, cut from the frame without extracting the honey. Because it is never spun, strained or heated, it is the least processed way to eat honey. Our how is honey made guide covers the hive side.

Is it safe to eat the wax?

Beeswax is not toxic. The US Food and Drug Administration lists beeswax as generally recognized as safe for use in food. Your body cannot break it down, so a small amount passes through your digestive system unchanged, much like the skin of some seeds.

Eating a few pieces of honeycomb is normal. Eating very large amounts of wax at once is not a good idea, simply because it is indigestible bulk. If you prefer, chew the comb until the honey is gone and discard the wax, the way people once chewed comb as a treat.

What does honeycomb taste like?

The honey in comb tastes like the flower it came from, the same as jarred honey, but it often seems more aromatic because nothing has been lost to straining. The wax itself has a faint, clean, slightly waxy flavor and a chewy texture that softens in your mouth. The first bite bursts with honey; the last is like natural chewing gum.

How to serve honeycomb

Honeycomb is a showpiece on a cheese board. Set a square in the middle and let guests cut off pieces with a small knife. It is excellent with salty, tangy cheeses, figs, crackers and toasted nuts. For more pairings, see honey and cheese pairing.

• On a cheese or charcuterie board with blue cheese or aged cheddar
• On warm buttered toast, where the wax softens and the honey runs
• Over Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream
• On pancakes, waffles or a warm biscuit
• Chopped into small pieces on top of a salad with goat cheese and pears
• Straight from a spoon as an after-dinner treat

How to cut and store honeycomb

Use a sharp knife warmed under hot water and dried, and cut straight down. Expect honey to pour out of the cut edges, so work on a plate with a rim. Store honeycomb in a sealed container at room temperature, away from heat and sunlight. It keeps for a very long time, like any honey, though the honey inside may crystallize. Crystallized comb is still good to eat and has a pleasant crunch.

Do not refrigerate honeycomb unless your kitchen is very warm; cold makes it crystallize faster and the wax hard.

Honeycomb vs chunk honey vs liquid honey

Honeycomb is comb only. Chunk honey is a piece of comb in a jar topped up with liquid honey. Liquid raw honey has been spun out of the comb and strained of wax. They come from the same hive and differ only in how much of the comb is left. If you love the taste of comb but want something easy to spoon, chunk honey is the middle ground. Read more in chunk honey.