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| Mt Etna at 2,700 meters, erupting |
We were recently in Sicily and one of the highlights of the
trip was hiking on and around Mount Etna. We were there for the June 17th
eruption so couldn’t go to the summit but, with the help of a hiking map, did
other hikes at lower elevations on the southern and western slopes. The
diversity of terrain and flora was astounding. From barren black landscapes
pocked with craters at upper elevations, above the tree line, to lush forests
of ferns to mature oak and pine forests at the lower elevations. The temperature and wind conditions also varied
significantly over short distances, based mostly on elevation. At 1,200 meters (where we were staying at Zafferana
Etna) it was warm (830F), slightly breezy and sunny. As we climbed
it became gradually cooler, cloudier and windier. At 2,700 meters (the highest
we could go safely during the eruption) it was ‘take your breath away’ windy, and
about 400F not factoring in wind chill. If you ever go up, my advice is wear layers, fleece and a
solid wind breaker. There is also quite
a lot of variation around rainfall depending on where you are. My impression
was that the southern slope, at lower elevations, got a lot more precipitation
than the western slope, making the plants quite different from one slope to the
next.
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| Hiking through ferns, Mt Etna |
We hiked through oak forests,
beech trees and ferns on the southern slope and mostly pine forests on the
western slope. And, of course, recent (and not so recent) lava flows have a biodiversity
all of their own with lichens, small shrubs and wild flowers emerging after a time. All this to say
that if you ever have the chance, hiking on and around Mount Etna is a real
treat, and that from a honey production point of view, it is a gold mine.
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| A beech tree we saw on a hike, Mt Etna |
This gold mine has not gone unnoticed! I learned that honey production is
big business in this area of Sicily. I heard that 20% of all honey consumed in
Italy originates from the Mount Etna area. In fact, Zafferana Etnea is called
the ‘town of honey’ and there is no denying it. I’ve never seen a town have
whole stores devoted to honey (and honey products), or road side trucks that sell only honey. To say the least,
I was in my element and came home with a lot of Sicily’s liquid gold. I did try to limit myself to either types of honey that I’d never come across
before (e.g. the Sulla honey that I’m reviewing here) or those that were tied
to the unique floral diversity of the area (e.g. wildflower or mountain
honeys). I'm a little embarrassed to say this resulted in me coming home with seven jars!
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| The apiarist whom I spoke with |
I also had a chance to speak with one of the apiarists that produced some of the honey I bought- the Sulla honey was one of hers. Well, I use "speak" rather loosely since I don't know Italian and she spoke no English. I was trying to ask her what plant 'Sulla' was. She tried to describe it but I couldn't figure it out. All I know was that it grew locally and had red flowers. Out hiking I took photos of red wildflowers with the hope that it was Sulla, but it wasn't.
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| The red wildflowers that I thought might be Sulla- they aren't. |
It took me coming home and searching on the internet to find out
what exactly I was dealing with. I now know that even if the apiarist had spoken perfect English I would not have been the wiser- the Sulla plant was a complete unknown to me.
This is what I found out about the Sulla plant (Hedysarum coronarium): it is also known as French
honeysuckle, Italian sainfoin, and cock’s head. It is from the Fabaceae, or Pea
family. It is drought (but not cold) resistant
and likes hilly or mountainous terrain up to elevations of about 1,200
meters. It is native to Sicily but also
found wild around the Mediterranean basin, and in Australia and New Zealand. It
is mostly used for animal fodder (hay) and honey production, but has also been
used in human herbal remedies (it is thought to have astringent and
cholesterol-lowering properties) and to reduce gastro-intestinal infections in
sheep.
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| Real Sulla flowers, courtesy of the web |
I think it is a rather attractive plant and it is purported to have fragrant, red flowers, which look a little like lupin
flowers to me. Its Latin name, as mentioned before, is Hedysarum coronarium. The 'coronarium' part refers to the fact that the petals form a 'crown.' It has deep roots, grows 2-4 feet tall, and is branchy. I’d call
it a shrub. Usually a plant this attractive that has multiple uses would be
mentioned in some ancient source or in poetry. Alas, the Sulla seems to have been taken
for granted; I could not find any reference to it from any notable source.
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| Sulla honey |
The
Sulla honey I have is a soft, cloudy yellow with a layer of clearer honey on
top. The cloudy bit is due to crystal formation that makes it thick and gives
it a very granular taste experience. I understand that Sulla honey is a fast crystallizer, crystallizing within a few months of harvest. I didn't think it had a particularly strong smell, but I've read that others have noted a faint floral and slightly hay-like scent. It is a sweet and uncomplicated honey with
slight floral undertones. I think the most unique thing about it is its
texture. It would be good in tea, even delicately flavored teas, and quite nice just out of the jar.
