How many Greek Honey varieties have you tried already?
We love to hear your stories and we always receive messages from you talking about your trips to Greece. Many of you recall fantastic honeys you used to bring back from there.
We had lots of kind messages from yourselves on how the Greek honeys from our collection make you feel like you are getting the experience from home.
Today we thought we can talk a bit about Greek Honey types and their benefits, so that next time you go back, you will be a true honey connoisseur.
There are quite a few popular varieties of honey in Greece, but the ones we will talk about today are:
Thyme, Pine, Fir, Oak and Orange Blossom.
Greek Thyme Honey
Light in colour with a subtle herbal taste, Raw Greek Thyme Honey is one of the most sought honeys from Greece.
Mainly found in Central Greece, the Peloponnese, the Aegean. The most revered areas for this honey are: Kythera and Crete Islands and Mount Hymettus.
The honey is harvested in late spring/summer and it represents 15% of all the Greek honey production.
Greek Thyme Honey Benefits:
Thyme is a herb with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties especially from its active ingredients: biocides, Thymol and Carvacro.
Thyme honey has anti-inflammatory properties and can be used to heal burns and wounds.
It also works great in fighting colds, coughs and sore throats.
Greek Pine Honey
Greek Pine Honey has a unique amber, red-ish brown colour with a pearlescent shine.
This is a honeydew honey, meaning that the honey is made from the sap of the tree, not the flowers or nectar.
In Greece, Pine honey represents around 60% of the honey harvested. Pine honey is particularly popular in the higher altitudes of the mainland, the Peloponnese but also on the Thasos, Crete and Halkidiki islands.
Greek Pine Honey Benefits:
High in antioxidants and antibacterial elements, Pine honey is good for respiratory remedies.
Greek Fir Honey
Similar to Pine Honey, Greek Fir honey has a brown red-ish colour and it is also a honeydew honey.
Fir honey has a mild nuttiness and sweetness with hints of savoury herbs and a slight sourness in the aftertaste, similar to the sourness experienced at the end of blackstrap molasses.
Greek Fir Honey Benefits:
Honeydews are high in oligosaccharides, which are known for their prebiotic qualities- aiding digestion.
Greek Orange Blossom Honey
This variety comes from the nectar and pollen the bees collect from the blossom of Orange Trees. It is usually a light golden-orange colour with a sweet taste. It has mild orange, citrusy notes.
It is popular in western Greece and the Peloponnese.
Greek Orange Blossom Honey Benefits:
Slightly less antibacterial content compared to darker honeys, but very sweet and good in recipes.
Greek Oak Honey
Greek Oak honey has a very dark brown colour, close to black. One of the honeys we have found to have a high antibacterial content.
Has notes of dried fruit, molasses and fudge, with a slight sourness in the aftertaste.
Greek Oak Honey Benefits:
Strong antibacterial activity, works great in fighting colds, coughs and sore throats.
Greece has a lot more honey varieties to offer, such as Greek Chestnut Honey, Greek Cotton Honey, Greek Heather Honey, Greek Sunflower Honey or even Greek Sidr Honey.
We hope to cover them all and to bring you even more tasting experiences.
An exciting new honey we have been interested in is a Greek Chestnut Honey from the holy mount Athos. If you would be interested in this honey please let us know!
