Bardejovský med

Bardejovský med (Med z Bardejova) is honeydew honey with an EU protected designation of origin (PDO) from the Čergov Mountains in the Bardejov district of north-eastern Slovakia. The name covers three products: fir honeydew honey, lime honeydew honey and honeydew honey. It is sold liquid or crystallised.

The honeydew is excreted by the green-striped fir aphid (Cinara pectinatae) and carried to the hives by Carniolan bees. Water is up to 18 %, HMF up to 5 mg/kg after extraction and 15 mg/kg after crystallisation, sucrose up to 5 g/100 g and glucose plus fructose at least 45 %. Electrical conductivity is at least 100 mS/m for fir, 90 for lime and 95 for honeydew honey. Fir honey is dark to black with a mild buttery taste; the lime type smells of lime blossom and tastes like menthol.

Hives must be wooden, bees are not fed sugar, the honey is extracted without heat, never pasteurised, and dissolved only below 45 °C. Every step, packing included, happens inside the area. Fir covers about 6,000 ha of forest, and the cool, humid climate suits the aphid.

Why this matters to you: the dark colour and high mineral content of fir honeydew honey are its nature; judge it by the label wording and the PDO symbol.