Greek Foods: Greek Honey - The Food of the Gods

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.

Greece produces well over 12 000 metric tonnes of honey every year, and most of this is exported, although the crafty Greeks keep the very best Greek honey for themselves. About two-thirds of this amount is Greek forest honey, derived from pine, fir and oak trees. This honey is thick and clear, with a fresh, wholesome flavour, and it is packed with trace elements, including potassium, iron and magnesium.

Flower honeys are the other major type of Greek honey, and there are as many varieties as there are flower species in Greece. The best type is the richly aromatic, amber Greek thyme honey, but honey derived from orange blossom, heather, oregano, and lavender are also wonderful treats.

As they say in Greece, as long as there are Greeks, there will always be bees. If olive oil is the lifeblood of Greece, then honey is the soul, a delicacy used in so many regional dishes.

Greeks love to have the famous thick Greek yoghurt, smothered with aromatic honey, for breakfast. Baklava are every Greek’s favourite treat, the Greek honey mixing with sesame seeds, almonds and cinnamon to create an irresistibly sweet and sticky delight.

Honey is also enjoyed smothered over cheese, or as a sweet stuffing for meat dishes. It really is the queen of Greek foods.

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