The Unexpected Power of Honeycomb: A Sweet Nod to Ancestral Wellness
When we posted a photo of honeycomb ice cream on X recently, we didn’t expect it to go viral. But there it was—dripping in sunlight, perfectly golden, raw honeycomb nestled into a scoop of homemade ice cream—and suddenly, over one million views later, it was clear: something about this ancient, unprocessed food struck a chord to our community.
And honestly, we get it. There’s something timeless about honeycomb. It looks like it was handcrafted by nature—and that’s because it was. Beyond its striking beauty and melt-in-your-mouth sweetness, honeycomb is packed with nutritional value and deeply rooted in ancestral diets.
At Tallow Twins, our approach to wellness is grounded in going back to what’s always worked: whole foods, animal-based nourishment, and ingredients that haven’t been tampered with by modern processing. Honeycomb fits right in. So let’s talk about it—why your body recognizes it, why your ancestors prized it, and why it’s not just a pretty topping but a wellness tool in its own right.
What is Honeycomb?
Honeycomb is the natural structure made by bees to store honey and pollen and to house their larvae. Made from beeswax, honeycomb is formed into hexagonal cells that are biologically efficient, visually mesmerizing, and completely edible. Inside each waxy cell is raw honey—untouched, unpasteurized, and brimming with enzymes, antioxidants, and living nutrients.
Unlike processed honey (which is often heated, filtered, and stripped of most of its benefits), raw honey in the comb is a completely different experience. It’s nature in its purest form, and your body knows what to do with it.
Honeycomb and the Ancestral Diet
Before supermarkets and sugar substitutes, early humans relied on what the land—and bees—could offer. Honey was one of the only concentrated sweeteners available to ancestral communities, and it was prized for both its taste and its energy-giving qualities.
Hunter-gatherer tribes like the Hadza of Tanzania still include honey as a core part of their diet. In fact, foraging for honey is considered a skill passed down through generations, often performed by men in the tribe who climb trees and use smoke to gently move the bees before collecting the comb. It’s celebrated as a nutrient-dense food that fuels long journeys, hunting trips, and day-to-day survival.
From Ancient Egypt to Indigenous North America, honey—and honeycomb—has held ceremonial, medicinal, and culinary value. It was eaten raw, applied to wounds, used in spiritual rituals, and considered a sacred gift from nature.
When we talk about ancestral eating at Tallow Twins, we’re talking about more than just “eating like your great-great-grandmother.” We’re talking about returning to foods that the human body evolved alongside—ingredients like grass-fed tallow, raw dairy, wild-caught fish, fermented vegetables, and yes—honeycomb.
Health Benefits of Eating Honeycomb
So what happens when you eat honeycomb today? Quite a lot, actually. Here’s a breakdown of the benefits:
1. Natural Antioxidants
Honeycomb is rich in antioxidants like flavonoids and phenolic acids, which help protect your body from oxidative stress—a key contributor to aging and chronic inflammation. These antioxidants support cellular health, immune function, and even skin elasticity.
2. Supports Oral Health
Chewing the beeswax (which is edible!) stimulates saliva production, which helps neutralize acid and protect teeth. Some holistic dentists even recommend honeycomb as a natural, gentle tooth-cleaning tool.
3. Antibacterial + Antiviral Properties
Raw honey is known for its antimicrobial properties, but in the comb, these benefits are even more potent. Studies show that the compounds in honeycomb can fight bacterial and viral infections, making it an immune system ally—especially during cold and flu season.
4. Gut Health + Digestive Support
Raw honey contains prebiotics that help feed the good bacteria in your gut. The enzymes in honeycomb can also aid in digestion and help your body better absorb nutrients from other foods.
5. Energy + Blood Sugar Regulation
Unlike refined sugar, honeycomb contains natural sugars (glucose and fructose) paired with trace enzymes and minerals. This slows the absorption rate and helps prevent the blood sugar crashes typically associated with processed sweets.
6. Nutrient-Rich
Honeycomb contains small amounts of B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium—along with enzymes like glucose oxidase and catalase, which support overall wellness.
But Is It Safe to Eat the Wax?
Yes—beeswax is completely edible. While it’s not digestible in the same way honey is (your body won’t break it down for nutrients), it moves through your system safely and can even act as a mild detoxifier. Honeycomb is insanely yummy and the texture adds a beautiful contrast to creamy or fatty foods—like a scoop of raw milk ice cream.
Why Honey Belongs in a Modern Ancestral Pantry
We’re not just eating for the now. We’re eating for hormonal balance, metabolic health, gut integrity, and skin resilience. And honeycomb checks all the boxes. It’s:
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Animal-adjacent (bees are nature’s alchemists)
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Unprocessed
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Enzyme-rich
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Naturally sweet without the crash
Pair it with fats—like raw cream—and you have a deeply nourishing snack that speaks to your primal biology. No labels, no added sugars, no gimmicks.
Our Favourite Honey Brands
Have we convinced you to eat more honey? Great. Now, for the hardest part- finding a worthy brand of honey.
Why you should buy high-quality honey and honeycomb:
Raw, high-quality honey hasn’t been pasteurized (heated at high temperatures) or heavily filtered, which means it retains its naturally occurring enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins (like B and C), and minerals (like calcium, magnesium, and potassium). These compounds are what make honey not just sweet, but functional—supporting digestion, immunity, and even wound healing.
Lower-quality, mass-produced honey often undergoes heating and processing that destroys most of these benefits.
Our faves:
Check your local farmers' market for raw honey and raw honeycomb!
Raw Milk Ice Cream with Crushed Honeycomb: A Recipe from Our Kitchen
This is the kind of dessert that makes you feel alive. It’s rich but not cloying, sweet but not saccharine. It’s made with ingredients your ancestors would recognize and your body will thank you for.
Ingredients (makes about 1 quart)
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2 ½ cups raw milk (ideally A2, grass-fed)
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1 cup raw cream (also grass-fed)
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4 pastured egg yolks
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¼ cup raw honey (plus more for drizzling)
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1 tsp pure vanilla extract
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A pinch of sea salt
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3–4 small pieces of raw honeycomb (cut or crushed)
Instructions:
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Create the custard base: In a medium saucepan, warm the raw milk and cream over low heat until just steaming—but not boiling. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, raw honey, and sea salt until combined.
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Temper the yolks: Slowly pour a ladle of the warm milk mixture into the yolk bowl while whisking constantly (this prevents curdling). Then pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan.
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Thicken: Stir constantly over low-medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon (about 5–7 minutes). Do not boil.
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Cool completely: Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
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Churn: Once fully chilled, pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s instructions.
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Add the magic: In the last few minutes of churning, gently fold in small chunks or ribbons of honeycomb. If you like, reserve some for topping.
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Freeze + serve: Transfer to a glass container and freeze until firm. Scoop, top with a drizzle of raw honey, more crushed honeycomb, or even a spoonful of whipped raw cream.
Why We’re Obsessed with Honeycomb Right Now
There’s a reason that photo resonated. There’s a hunger—not just for sweetness, but for connection. Connection to nature, to our bodies, to the past. Honeycomb is a reminder that real food doesn’t need to be reinvented. It just needs to be remembered.
In the world of buzzy “superfoods” and functional ingredients, honeycomb is quiet, ancient, and effortlessly powerful. It reminds us that beauty and nourishment often go hand-in-hand. That sweetness doesn’t have to mean sacrifice. And that sometimes, the best wellness tools are the ones your ancestors already knew about.
Shop top-rated tallow skincare here.