Blossom and honeydew honey

Blossom honey is made by bees from plant nectar. Honeydew honey comes mainly from the excretions of plant-sucking insects on living plants, or from secretions of living plant parts. These are the two origin types of Honey in EU Directive 2001/110/EC. The type shapes colour, taste and composition.

Bees take nectar from acacia, lime, sunflower or rape flowers. Honeydew is produced by aphids and other insects on living trees, most often on silver fir, spruce, pines and oaks. Bees process both with their own substances, dehydrate them and leave them to ripen in the comb.

The laboratory tells them apart. Blossom honey has at least 60 g of fructose and glucose together per 100 g and an electrical conductivity of up to 0.8 mS/cm. Honeydew honey needs at least 45 g per 100 g and 0.8 mS/cm or more; chestnut honey has the same threshold.

Honeydew honey is darker. Fir honeydew has a greenish glint, a woody aroma and a very thick body, and it crystallises slowly. The forest honey of Kraški med smells of resin and caramel. According to FAO, dark honeys, honeydew above all, are richest in minerals.

Why this matters to you: if you like a mild, sweet taste, look for a light blossom honey such as acacia honey. If you prefer resinous, slightly bitter notes, choose honeydew honey. Protected honeydew-type names in the EU register include Miel de sapin des Vosges and Podkarpacki miód spadziowy.