Buckwheat honey
Monofloral honey from common buckwheat nectar: the darkest of the honey types compared in a Polish study.
Buckwheat honey is a honey from the nectar of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), the same plant that is milled into buckwheat flour. Among the honey types compared in a Polish study it was the darkest. EU law sets no special limits for it, so the general limits for honey apply, such as moisture up to 20 %.
In that study of 49 Polish honeys, buckwheat honey had a median colour of 159.8 mm Pfund, against 44.9 for linden honey and 37.4 for light multifloral honey, and it also had the highest total phenolic content. A phenolic acid called 4-HBA was proposed as a marker of buckwheat honey.
Mislabelling occurs: of 15 samples sold as buckwheat honey, 3 turned out to be another type. The study gives no data on how buckwheat honey crystallises, so none is stated here.
Why this matters to you: a dark colour alone does not prove that a jar holds buckwheat honey. Because of possible mislabelling, look for a trustworthy producer and the country of harvest on the label, and compare it with lime honey: the difference in colour is obvious at a glance.
Facts
| Raw material | Nectar of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | No special limits in Directive 2001/110/EC; general limits apply |
| House range | Median colour 159.8 mm Pfund, the darkest in the study |
How it connects to Honey & beekeeping
Buckwheat honey → kind of → Blossom and honeydew honey → kind of → 🍯 Honey
Links
- Part of
- Monofloral honey, Blossom and honeydew honey
- Similar and different
- Coriander honey, Łysoń, Honey Brothers, Medozbir, Sądecki Bartnik Miody premium, Honey Brothers Ukrainian Classics, Dutchman's Gold, Yamada Bee Farm, Dutch Gold Honey, De Traay
and 14 more
Brolių medus, De Traay Gangbare honing, Yamada Bee Farm Satoyama Honey, Sądecki Bartnik Pasieka Kasztelewicz, Med Podillia Marbee, Honey Brothers Buckwheat Honey, Medozbir Hrechanyi med, Sądecki Bartnik Miód gryczany, Med Podillia Hrechanyi med, Yamada Bee Farm Satoyama Buckwheat Honey, De Traay Boekweithoning, Brolių medus Grikių medus, Dutch Gold Buckwheat Honey, Marbee Honey Buckwheat - In other topics
- Honey plants, Buckwheat flour
- Which plants it comes from
- Buckwheat
Frequently asked questions
What is buckwheat honey made from?
From the nectar of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum).
How dark is it?
In a Polish study the median was 159.8 mm Pfund, against 44.9 for linden honey.
Are there special EU limits for buckwheat honey?
No, the general limits for honey apply, such as moisture up to 20 %.
Is it true that every dark honey is buckwheat honey?
No, in the study 3 of 15 samples sold as buckwheat honey turned out to be another type.
What was proposed as a marker of buckwheat honey?
A phenolic acid called 4-HBA.
What to read next
- Honey plants — Plants from which bees collect nectar and pollen: black locust, lime, buckwheat, sunflower, rapeseed, chestnut, heather, lavender.
- Honey Brothers Buckwheat Honey — Buckwheat blend honey from the Ukrainian Classics line of the brand Honey Brothers.
- Coriander honey — Coriander honey is a monofloral honey from the nectar of coriander (Coriandrum sativum), a field crop; dark and rarely seen on shelves.
- Yamada Bee Farm — Yamada Bee Farm (Yamada Yohojo) is a Japanese beekeeping company from Kagamino in Okayama Prefecture.
- De Traay Gangbare honing — De Traay's conventional varietal honey range: nine varieties, from buckwheat to lime.
Similar
Lime (linden) honey · Sunflower honey · Phacelia honey · Heather honey · Acacia honey · Rapeseed honey
ℹ️ Honey is mostly sugars: about 82 g per 100 g. Do not give honey to babies under 1 year old because of the risk of infant botulism.
Sources
- Content of Phenolic Acids as a Marker of Polish Honey Varieties. Antioxidants 2022, 11(7):1312
- Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey (consolidated text, EUR-Lex)