Greek honey is, quite simply,
divine. Few other foods offer such a combination of wonderful flavour and proven
medicinal benefits. The hard-working Greek honey bee enjoys an elevated status
in Greece, and rightly so; Greek honey mixes the sweet, delicate fragrance
of mountain flowers, with a dose of concentrated
Greek sunshine.
Greek Honey and the Blessings of Chloris
Despite the relatively small
size of the country, its rich diversity of fragrant, indigenous flowers provides
the perfect environment for apiculture. Amongst the rugged and tumbling slopes
of Greece’s ancient mountains, rows of beehives are set amongst a
kaleidoscopic array of beautiful wildflowers. The Greek spring sees the barren,
rocky mountain slopes clad with the blessings of Chloris, the bees frantically
taking advantage of this annual abundance.
Most of the Greek mountains
are untouched by chemicals, and there are no herbicides or insecticides to
disturb the labour of the Greek honeybees. The experienced apiculturist understands
sustainable farming, taking only what he needs and leaving the bees with plenty
of honey for the hard winter. His symbiosis with the bees is an ancient
friendship, and Greek honey stands alongside olive oil as one of the staple
Greek foods.
Greek honey is an integral
part of the famous Mediterranean diet, long recognised as one of the secrets to
good health and long life.
Greek Honey - The Hard Greek Mountains
The best Greek mountain honey comes
from the towering White Mountains of Crete, the unforgiving slopes of the Taygetos
Mountains, and the parched Mani peninsula. These areas, barren for most of the
year, come to life in the spring, as the gentle rain seeps into the limestone. Colourful
flowers cling to every crevice, softening the hard mountains and attracting Greek
honeybees and butterflies.
What Gives Greek Honey its Unique Flavour?
The
rich, complex flavour of Greek honey stems from the unique flowers
found in this ancient land. Greek honeybees gorge on nectar from the
fragrant thyme, oregano, and rosemary plants, alongside the delicate
orange and jasmine blossom. Greece has over 7500 types of flower, with
850 of them are indigenous to the area, and this gives Greek honey its
divine blend of delicate floral fragrances and mellow sweetness.
Greek
bees have to work very hard for their wealth, and this is what gives
Greek honey its characteristic strength and flavour. It is extremely
difficult for the bees to extract nectar from the stingy plants, and the
bees produce less honey per beehive than in most other areas. The
benefit of this is that the honey is dense, containing less water, and
the flavours and nutrients are highly concentrated.
