Greece has more beehives per hectare than any other country in Europe, and Greek honey is considered one of the finest in the world.

This is mainly due to the great diversity of Greek flora and plenty of sunshine. As a proven quality product, it carries an excellent reputation and is available as a prestigious product in 30 countries on five continents.

The diversity of flora is responsible for different types of honey, each with characteristic properties and flavors.

Types of Greek Honey

Pine Honey

The most typical Greek honey is pine honey, which makes up a large part of the total honey production in Greece. Interestingly, it does not come from pine flowers at all. Insects Marchalina hellenica live on Greek pines, feed on plant juices, and produce a sweet honeydew that bees collect and turn into honey. Therefore, pine honey is less sweet than most floral honeys, darker, thick, and crystallizes very slowly. It is particularly characteristic of Thassos, Halkidiki, Evia, Skopelos, and Rhodes.

• If you want to bring back honey from Greece that truly stands out from what we most commonly buy in Serbia, this is an excellent choice.
• More about pine honey from Thassos. And here find a producer, our woman married in Thassos who is engaged in beekeeping.

“Vanilla” Fir Honey

Even more unusual is the famous “Vanilla” Fir Honey from Mount Mainalo in the Peloponnese.

• There is no vanilla in it, and nothing is added to it.
• It got its name because of its unusual light appearance, pearly reflections, and dense, almost creamy texture.

It is mainly fir honey, or honeydew.

• It is very mild and not overly sweet, and due to its composition, it does not crystallize like most honeys.

What makes it even more special is that Meli Elatis Menalou Vanilla has a European PDO protected designation of origin since 1996.

• Genuine honey with this name must come from the precisely defined area of Arkadia around Mount Mainalo.

So, if you see a jar labeled Vanilla Fir Honey, do not expect honey with a vanilla flavor - expect one of the most unusual and recognizable types of Greek honey.

Some other types of Greek honey

• Thyme Honey - one of the most valued types of honey, especially from Crete, Kythira, and the Dodecanese. It is very aromatic and intense, truly capturing the aroma of Mediterranean herbs.
• Orange Blossom Honey - most commonly found in the citrus regions of the Peloponnese, around Arta in Epirus, and in Crete. It is light and so fragrant that you can recognize the scent of orange blossom.
• Heather Honey - common in Evia, Halkidiki, and western Greece. It is usually reddish, with a stronger flavor, and crystallizes much faster than pine honey.
• Chestnut Honey - mainly from the mountainous regions of northern and central Greece and the Peloponnese. It is very aromatic, but what surprises most people is its distinctive flavor and intensity.
• Cotton Honey - μέλι βαμβακιού - yes, there is cotton honey too. It is most characteristic of Thessaly and Thrace, where there are large cotton fields, and its taste is much milder than you would expect.
• Oak Honey - μέλι βελανιδιάς - another unusual forest honey, especially from Rhodope, Pindus, Pelion, and the mountains of the Peloponnese. It can be so dark that it looks almost black, and it is not overly sweet.
• Erica Honey - μέλι κουμαριάς - perhaps the most unusual on this list. It is produced, among other places, in the Peloponnese, Halkidiki, and western Greece and has something you probably do not expect from honey - a pronounced bitter taste.

If you want to bring back something that is not commonly found in Serbia from Greece, especially consider pine honey, thyme honey from the islands, cotton honey, citrus honey, fir honey, and heather honey if you don’t mind the bitterness.

How much honey do Greeks produce and consume

Greeks consume 1.7kg of honey per capita annually, which ranks them among the largest, or even the largest, consumers of honey per capita in the world.

The largest amount of honey comes from pines and firs, and the rest is from floral nectar.

Pure floral varieties of honey come from plants such as thyme, orange blossom, heather, chestnut… Greece is unique for its thyme honey.

Mixed varieties are from wild oregano, wildflowers, and lavender.

From ancient times to today

Honey production dates back to 6000 years before Christ, and the value of honey was known in ancient times. Hippocrates and Aristotle wrote about honey, considering nectar to be the food of the gods and that Zeus was raised on honey. Hippocrates wrote:

• “Honey and pollen warm, cleanse wounds and ulcers, heal sores on the lips.”

Aristotle believed that honey prolongs life. Honey, as the first sweetener along with olives and grapes, represents the beginning of Greek gastronomy.

Interesting wedding custom

In some parts of Greece, the bride dips her finger in honey when getting married and then makes a cross above the entrance. Fulfilling this custom should ensure “sweetness” in marital life for her, as well as a good relationship with her mother-in-law.

Where to buy Greek honey on vacation

Thassos

Thassos is widely known for producing quality honey, and on the island, you can try

• the famous thyme honey,
• and the most famous and highly valued pine honey.

In addition to honey on Thassos, you can buy various honey products.

• The most popular is the so-called karidaki, young green walnuts with shells in pine honey and syrup. Do not miss visiting Thassos without trying karidaki.

Sithonia

Nikiti in Sithonia has been the largest honey production center in Europe for years, and today in Nikiti, there are 150 professional beekeepers managing around 85,000 bee colonies.

• The famous honey factory in Nikiti, Honey Sithon, is one of the largest in Europe.
• It produces 1200 tons of honey annually for domestic and foreign markets.

Athos

The village of Arnea near Olympiada is another place in northern Greece known for excellent honey. You can buy honey that is widely known and often wins first prizes for quality in the central square in Arnea.

• In Arnea, you can also buy cotton honey.

Different parts of Greece are known for different types of honey.

• Aegean islands: thyme and pine
• Thessaly: cotton, chestnut, fir
• Halkidiki: pine, heather
• Peloponnese: thyme, fir, chestnut, orange blossom
• Western Greece: thyme, orange blossom, chestnut, heather
• Central Greece: thyme, fir, chestnut
• Thrace: cotton, sunflower

In the group Live from Greece, read comments on the topic of Greek honey and where to buy the best honey.

Greek honey - a precious product due to demanding production

Beehives are often located in very inaccessible areas throughout Greece, so production costs are high, which also affects the price of honey.

Greek honey is among the best in the world because it contains over a hundred different plants that give it a specific flavor, as well as specific pharmaceutical characteristics.

There are about 15,000 beekeepers and one million two hundred thousand beehives in Greece. Between 14,000 and 16,000 tons of honey are produced annually.

Professional beekeepers, of which there are about 3,000, lead a nomadic life and travel up to 30,000 kilometers with their hives each year.

Honey is one of the most valuable gifts of nature to man.

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