Made by bees using nectar from flowers, honey has been consumed by humans since prehistoric times, as evidenced by a cave painting near Valencia. An important food item, honey was used in places like the Middle East or the Mesoamerica as a sweetening ingredient and for other culinary purposes. Honey has also been used to produce mead throughout the Eurasia, from China to Greece to Britain. Other historical discoveries concerning honey include using it as medicine and for embalming the dead.