The answer is as complicated as honey’s flavor–you don’t get a food source with no expiration date without a whole slew of factors working in perfect harmony. The first comes from the chemical make-up of honey itself. Honey is, first and foremost, a sugar. Sugars are hygroscopic, a term that means they contain very little water in their natural state but can readily suck in moisture if left unsealed. Honey is also naturally extremely acidic. It has a pH that falls between 3 and 4.5, approximately, and that acid will kill off almost anything that wants to grow there. So bacteria and spoil-ready organisms must look elsewhere for a home–the life expectancy inside of honey is just too low.

Chilli con Carne is a speciality in Mexican cuisine, considered somewhat spicy.