ALBANIAN HONEY
Albania’s Secret Treasure
Honey for sale in Southern Albania
I would go as far as to say that beekeeping and honey production is something of a national treasure in Albania. It’s a tradition that is etched within the rugged peaks of the mountains, all the way to humble home gardens and from decadent fine dining restaurants, to roadside stalls.
The history of Albanian honey was even noted by Aristotle who described the Illyrian talent for producing wine from honeycombs. While this practice seems to have been lost to the times, honey production is very much alive.
Like many Albanian families, ours also hosts a small apiary of colourful huts and tends to them to ensure the highest quality of honey possible, with absolutely no added sugars. I thought I had tasted natural honey but when I tried this, there was no going back.
What I love is the openness to the fact that the honey isn’t uniform. Each batch will come with its own unique identity depending on the time of year and the flora the bees have busied themselves within.
You will often find a rich variety of shades when shopping for honey in Albania. From gentle gold, to dark caramel and even chestnut brown. The depth of colour is reflective of the depth of flavour. The darker the honey, the richer and more complex the taste, whereas the lighter varieties feature a more delicate fizz of sweetness.
Shopping for honey in Southern Albania, shot on 35mm film
It’s common knowledge that honey has many health benefits. Many of us reach a weary hand towards honey when we are unwell, or dip into the jar when we’re in need of a natural energy boost. This is very much common practice across Albania too, where honey is seen as a staple for leading a healthy lifestyle.
We have several honey recipes in our house that our family have made for generations as part of their healthy lifestyle. One is a combination of homemade honey, olive oil and mixed nuts. It’s said to be a brilliant, natural source of energy with health benefits coming from each of the ingredients too.
Another example is the fusion of our honey with Albanian mountain tea. Both ingredients are said to boast many health benefits so bringing them together, usually in a tea, is an excellent way to maximise their properties.
Varieties of wild, Albanian tea
So what are these health benefits?
Well, honey is said to be a natural antioxidant and its antimicrobial properties may help fight infections. It can also contain vitamins and minerals that support a healthy lifestyle and is said to help with healthy skin and hair.
The interesting thing about Albanian honey is that there are many unique varieties that harness these health benefits because of where they are produced. In mountainous regions, the difficult terrain means much of the landscape is wild and untouched. There is often no pollution or presence of harmful chemicals or pesticides in these areas, which carries into the honey production, creating a really pure end product. Albania’s dramatic mountains also host an array of medicinal plants and herbs, especially in Northern towns such as Pukë, which lend themselves to creating a nutrient-dense honey.
Mountains near Pukë, Northern Albania
The remote nature of much of Albania’s honey production is also what creates the exciting spectrum of flavour. In Southern Albania the Staehelina uniflosculosa, or Bedunica flower, assists in the production of one of the rarest honey varieties in the country. Growing some 1500 metres above sea level in Permet, these are the only flowers that bloom during August and September here. The difficult terrain only allows for traditional wooden hives and a complete manual harvest so production is scarce and has been decreasing over time as less people inhabit these remote areas.
To the North in Reç, dense forests of chestnut trees form the source of honey production, leading to a distinct rich, nutty aroma within the honey. Whereas the honey produced from the strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo) in the south, is bitter yet floral.
The natural diversity of Albania’s honey is celebrated and has been honoured by generations of people, whether they harvest or just purchase honey. I can’t help but reflect on how far removed we seem from this in our general, modern food system and I couldn’t write this without touching on the controversy that currently surrounds much of the honey we are purchasing in the UK.
Mountains in Albania
Not all honey is created equal and last year, The Guardian called out that 9 in 10 honey samples from UK retailers failed an authenticity test.
Honey is frequently cut with refined sugar syrup to increase yield and in doing so, much of its famed health properties succumb to the process.
In a race to the bottom, retailers are stacking this sub-standard honey high and shoppers are unable to distinguish between the genuine and the fake. Honey has sadly become just another one of the ingredients that has been heavily modified to benefit bottom lines within the industry, all the while being cleverly disguised as a health food.
Long ago, the decision was made for us that we must expect everything and pay nothing for food. Seasonality has been briskly swept under the carpet of endless availability and quality is now masked by expertly designed packaging, rather than the actual product beneath it. In light of the recent cost of living crisis, many people simply don’t have the luxury to carefully select food that has been sourced to the highest standard. There isn’t the time, nor the budget.
It's true, good food shouldn’t cost a fortune but when it comes to many ingredients, there are people and processes that bring those products from their source to our plates and we need to reflect upon the impact of cutting corners on this journey.
It’s not only the quality of the ingredient that suffers but it tends to be the people within the supply chain too. Many mindful honey producers are discarded in favour of those who present the highest yield for the lowest price and without the means or desire to compete in the race, they drop out.
Honey is an interesting ingredient to shine a spotlight on because there is a wider environmental impact that it plays into. Across Albania, honey producers have a deep understanding of how caring for the bees’ environment positively impacts the quality of the honey. Without the right natural environment, they aren’t able produce something so pure or nutrient-dense.
On a wider scale, pollination from bees is vital to much of the agricultural industry. Providing bees with what they need to produce amazing honey also benefits agriculture, which seems like a double win for us, so why don’t we do it? The issue is complex and long-standing, which is why we’ve now reached the position where a staggering number of honey samples fail authenticity tests in the UK.
However I am hopeful that there is an opportunity for positive change within this issue and that, like Albania, the UK will explore and really harness its own unique spectrum of honey production to create some incredible varieties, perhaps some that we are yet to discover and maybe even some with just as many health benefits.
Landscape in Albania
Tea Shopping in Gjirokaster, Albania
Authentic Albanian honey can be hard to come by outside of Albania but I’m also hopeful that this may change and that more people will be able to try it and fall in love with it as I have. If you happen to have some in your cupboard, or indeed have a different type of top quality honey and you’d like to try out a couple of our family’s recipes, check the links below.