Attiki Greek (thyme) honey, Athens, Greece

Greece is known for, amongst other things, its honey, especially it thyme honey. It is blessed with a hot, sunny climate and well-drained soil that is ideal for the cultivation of thyme as well as other wild flora.

Thyme is native to the Mediterranean and a member of the mint family- and it is a large family. Over 100 species of thyme are known. It is a versatile, aromatic herb that has been used extensively in cooking. In fact, the general rule for using herbs in cooking is "when in doubt, use thyme."

Common Thyme

Throughout history thyme has also been used for other purposes: ancient Egyptians used it in embalming; ancient Greeks burnt it in their temples; Romans used it to purify their rooms à la Fabreeze; and in the Middle Ages it was placed under pillows to ward off nightmares. In addition it was a symbol of courage, embroidered on scarves and given as favors to the bravest knights, was used to preserve linen from insects, and used as an antiseptic. It seems that if you were stranded on a desert island, thyme might be all you would ever need.

The Bee Culturing Company [Alexandros Pittas, SA, Athens], a family business, produces two types of honey: Attiki and Fino. Attiki is honey from thyme and other wild flora, and Fino is forest honey. They claim that many of the wild flora that are the floral sources in Attiki honey are unique to the Greek countryside and produce a distinctive rich, complex (and heady) flavor. The business basically contracts with local honey producers throughout Greece and packs and distributes the honey internationally (in addition to offering training and other support to beekeepers). They have been doing this since 1928. They have a wonderful website with a few unique features. One is if you input the lot number of your honey it will tell you where it was produced and give you a little information about the apiarist and the area. Very cool: http://www.attiki-pittas.gr/uk/

Thyme hillsides in Crete

 They also have a recipe section with Greek honey recipes. Yum: http://www.attiki-pittas.gr/en/sintages/zaxaroplastiki

The Attiki honey I have is dark amber and slightly crystallized. It has a subtle herbal smell to it with an undertone of sweetness. It is a thick honey, that swirls in a dark, glassy way. My toothpick stands up in it. It is sweet but not overly so, with an herbal, savory taste that is even more evident in the after taste. It is so thick and smooth that it rolls around like a candy melting. I detect a hint of clove and has a subtle medicinal taste near the end, which is more pleasant than it sounds.

Attiki Greek Thyme/flora honey

Overall, it is a good quality honey with a complex, unique texture and flavor. Given the thickness, I can see why it is a favorite to drizzle over yoghurt, but it may also work well in cooking (I think it would complement the flavors of nuts very well), on toast, or hot cereal. To use it in Greek recipes, don't forget to check out the Attiki website.   If your local shops don't carry it, you can find a variety of suppliers online (including amazon), just type in Attiki Greek Honey into a search engine.

Creta Honey, Lassithi, Crete

Last summer we had a magical vacation on the island of Crete. Amazing archeological digs to explore, beautiful hidden valleys and plateaus to discover, and beaches, of every variety, to experience. You could spend two weeks just exploring all the beaches, and it would make for a great vacation. I kid you not. Here is a website describing all the beaches of Crete for your armchair traveling pleasure: http://www.cretanbeaches.com/ Our favorite beach was Falsarna because of the never ending waves, perfect for body surfing, but I digress. Back to honey.

A Cretan treat is Greek yogurt with Greek honey, a combination of the slightly sour fresh, creamy yogurt and the sweet of the honey. Just thinking about it takes me back to the island. Driving around Crete you may notice alot of box bee hives, on hills of thyme mostly, but if you look for them you'll see them everyone. Honey is a local product, with a year round production (no real winter in Crete) and given the climate and terrain, most flower sources for Cretan honey come from aromatic herbs. They are famous for their thyme honey. A site dedicated to local Cretan products claims that "bees are fed from bushes that are only grown in Crete." I wish they would say what kind of bushes these were, but I suspect they are thyme.

The honey I have is from the Lassithi plateau, in the central bit of the eastern part of the island. The Lassithi plateau is an unexpected find and quite different from other areas in Crete. High in the mountains (840 meters above sea level) it can only be accessed from eight passes. Driving up through winding roads, ascending into tall, grey mountains and then coming through a pass to see the flat expanse of farmland is truly a wonderful sight. And did I mention the windmills? It took me a while to figure out that they use wind power to irrigate the land. While olive groves are found all over Crete and there are many orange orchards in the western areas of the island, the Lassithi plateau may be unique for having pear and apple orchards, almond trees and fields of other crops that you might not expect to be grown in Crete. The plateau has been inhabited since Minoan times and one of the main attractions is the Dikti cave, one (of three) legendary birthplaces of Zeus on the island.

Because the flower sources are so different, I suspected that Lassithi honey would be quite different from the other honeys of Crete, and I'm right. It is a mellow yellow-brown color with a very slightly cloudy look to it. It is runny but if you swirl a toothpick in it quickly you get a fine twirl of honey. It is a smooth honey that clings to itself. You have to roll it around a little in your mouth for it to dissolve. It has a mellow, soft, brown molasses flavor followed by a sharper sweet taste. There is a very subtle herb flavor but it is not very pronounced, not at all like thyme honey. Would it be too obvious to say that it would be perfect in yogurt? Because, it would be perfect in honey.

Thyme Honey from the Balos Lagoon, Crete

On the North-Western side of Crete is the Gramvousa Peninsula, a rocky, dry bit of land that has a dusty (but passable) road that ends at the northern tip of it, surprisingly at a parking lot with a cantena. This, the only road, hugs the Eastern coastline, and the views of both the mountainous interior (Mount Geroskinos) and the deep blue sea, are spectacular. Along the bumpy way you may also encounter goats and see colorful boxes arranged in groups among the mountain herbs. These boxes are beehives; Anastasios Stathakis' beehives. Mr. Stathakis and his family harvest and produce honey from this peninsula, which has an abundance of wild thyme. You can buy his honey at the cantena. In fact the photo of Creten honey on this blog is of Mr. Stathakis' honey.

The label on the honey says "Honey from Thyme from Balos Lagoon." The reason for this is that the only real attraction to make the trip to the end of the Gramvousa Peninsula (buying honey aside) is to hike across and down Mt Geroskinos, single file, to the west side of the peninsula, where you'll find the spectacular, and visually unexpected Balos Lagoon. Imagine a brown and gray landscape with fragrant herbs underfoot, and the sun beating down. The sound of cicadas fills the air, and now and again goat bells break in. You trudge along, following a well worn path. The scenery is much the same for some time. Then you crest a sandy cliff and see a lagoon with brilliant gradations of azure and turquoise far below you, and a beach with the whitest sand. The contrast between the neutral colors of the mountain and the brilliant colors of the sea are breath-taking. And from your vantage point, high on the cliff (there is still a 30 minute hike in front of you to get to the lagoon), you can see past the lagoon to islands off shore and then to the deeper, black-blue waters of the Mediterranean. And to think that in the midst of all this, the bees of the peninsula are busily make honey, and Mr. Stathakis (bless his heart) harvests it.

Mr. Stathakis' honey is a warm, golden color (dare I say honey-colored?). It has nearly no aroma, just a slight smell of sweetness. It is a thin honey that runs easily. It has a smooth and very sweet taste with just a whisper of something herbal, something subtly smokey. Its final taste is delicate, uncomplicated and fleeting. I would not categorize this honey as odd- it tastes like what you expect honey to taste like; The aromatic herbal undertones are subtle and linger only briefly.

I like this honey but was expecting something more dramatic- a fragrant blast of thyme, for instance. After the initial let down, however, I do appreciate the delicate flavor. Although I haven't yet tried it in tea, I suspect it would work well. It wouldn't be my first choice to spread on buttered bread, though,- unless the bread was really nutty, in which case the honey might compliment it nicely without competing with the nuttiness.

Jars of 450 grams are 6 Euros, and those of 900 grams are 12 Euros, available at the cantena.