Bottega Pistho
Honeydew honey is the odd one out of the family: dark, almost amber-black, low in sweetness and boldly flavoured, almost malty. First-timers are taken aback — then rarely go without it. Here's what it is, how it's made and why it deserves a place in your pantry.
How it's made (not from flowers)
Unlike classic honeys, honeydew honey doesn't come from flower nectar but from honeydew, a sugary substance released by certain insects on plant sap. Bees collect and transform it: the result is a darker, less sweet honey with a more "woodland" profile. In many countries it's called forest honey; in Italy it's simply called melata.
What it tastes like
Low in sugar, with notes reminiscent of malt, liquorice and dried fruit. It's less cloying than a floral honey and leaves a long, balsamic finish. It crystallises more slowly than flower honeys and stays fluid or creamy for a long time: that's not a flaw, it's its nature.
Honeydew vs flower honey: the differences
- Source: honeydew from plant sap, floral honeys from flower nectar.
- Colour: honeydew is much darker.
- Sweetness: honeydew is clearly less sweet.
- Crystallisation: slower in honeydew.
How to use it
Honeydew shines where a floral honey would be too sweet:
- With mature and blue cheeses: the classic pairing
- In teas and infusions, where it sweetens without covering
- On bread and butter, or drizzled over full-fat yoghurt
- In savoury cooking, to glaze meats or roasted vegetables
How to store it
At room temperature, away from heat and direct light. If over time it clouds or crystallises, that's normal: just place the jar in warm water (never boiling, to avoid altering its properties) to make it fluid again. Being raw and unpasteurised, it's a living product.
Ours is an organic Sicilian honeydew honey, raw and unpasteurised: a product for those who seek real flavours, far from industrial honey.
Read also: Discover all our organic honeys
