In 2015, archaeologists reported that they'd found 3,000-year-old honey while excavating tombs in Egypt, and it was perfectly edible .
2015年，一些考古学家声称，他们在挖掘一个埃及古墓的时候发现了一罐3000多年前的蜂蜜，而且它还完全可以吃。

This durability is thanks to the unique features of honey: it is low in water and high in sugar, so bacteria cannot grow on it.
这么长的保质期源自蜂蜜的独特性质：它的含水量很低，而含糖量很高，所以细菌无法在上面生长。

Honey also contains small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, which inhibits growth of microbes. This is partly why bees produce it for the young in their hives – it is both food and protection.
蜂蜜还含有少量的双氧水，它能抑制微生物的生长。蜜蜂之所以生产蜂蜜，也是部分出于这个原因——它既是食物，也是一种保护措施。

Processing honey also helps as the sugars in honey are hygroscopic and tend to draw in atmospheric water, which is not ideal. However, during processing and packaging, the heat treatment first removes water and then airtight lids keeps the water out, helping it keep for longer.
蜂蜜的加工过程则进一步确保了这一点，因为蜂蜜里的糖是吸湿的，它们会吸收空气中的水分，这肯定不太好。而在蜂蜜的加工和打包过程中，我们会对蜂蜜进行加热，这回除去蜂蜜中的水分；而密封盖则能防止空气中的水进入蜂蜜，这就进一步延长了它的保质期。

Although honey can go cloudy and crystallise when opened as the sugars draw in water again, this physical change can be reversed by simply warming the honey.
虽然蜂蜜在开封之后会变白、结晶（因为空气里的水汽进去了），但只要简单地加热蜂蜜就能将这个物理变化你转回来。

（翻译：能猫）