EUROPE'S most expensive honey – and the second-priciest in the world – comes from a village in the land-locked centre-northern province of León and will be presented at the International Organic Fair in Sweden next month.
It is created via the cooperative in the village of Camponaraya, in the district of El Bierzo, and even has a waiting list – given that it is certified as Halal, meaning it is suitable for retail in Muslim communities, it has buyers throughout the Arab world and demand has far outstripped supply.
Orders taken now cannot be met until at least the beginning of 2020.
Its price tag of €150 per kilo means a standard supermarket-sized jar could come in at between €30 and €37.50, or around 10 times the cost of mass-produced honey found on the shelves.
But when considering how much work is involved in honey production, even at €150 a kilo, bees should be demanding a pay rise.
To create a kilo, nectar from over a million flowers is needed, so each standard jar bought from supermarket shelves contains the fluid from about 200,000 to 250,000 flowers, and to collect enough, bees need to travel around 7,000 kilometres (4,350 miles) – the equivalent of from Valencia to Miami or from the Costa del Sol to India.
Another Spanish honey was granted the title of World's Best Lavender Honey in summer at the prestigious Great Taste Awards ceremony in London, widely considered to be the Oscars of the food world.
Known as Nectarius de Origen Lavanda, the three-starred honey is hand-made, organic, and comes from the village of Cifuentes in the La Alcarria district of the province of Guadalajara, famous for its lavender festival and the bluish-purple tinge of its countryside, reminiscent of Provence.
The great advantage to honey is that it never goes off – even though jars carry a use-by date, this is only to comply with food legislation – and, if it crystallises, this is easily reversible by simply placing it in a saucepan of boiled, simmering water until it melts again and turns to liquid.
In fact, honey which never crystallises is normally poorer-quality: it means it has been pasteurised, which affects its flavour and properties; a process typically found in the cheaper versions.
Honey is a highly-effective anti-bacterial agent, and specialists recommend it to help fight bacterial infections – in fact, vets even advise using it on animals' cuts to prevent infection and assist healing.
It is said to aid in stimulating the immune system, help digestion and is ideal for a weight-loss diet as a substitute for refined sugar; although it does contain sugar, so should not be abused, and may not be recommended for diabetics.
Honey is even said to assist in relieving some of the symptoms of the common cold – although, clearly, it does not cure it, since no cure has ever been found – hence the ancient remedy of hot toddies or hot lemon juice and honey during the winter sniffles.
