Mel da Terra Quente

Mel da Terra Quente is a Portuguese honey with an EU protected designation of origin (PDO) from the north-east of the country. Apis mellifera iberica bees make it from the nectar of Mediterranean flora: heather, eucalyptus, lavender, broom and above all rosemary.

Rosemary defines the taste: its pollen must make up at least 15 % of the honey. Hives stand mostly on uncultivated land, sometimes enclosed by stone walls. The honey is extracted from July to September by pressing or the traditional method; extraction and filtering take place only inside the area at no more than 45 °C. The specification sets moisture below 17 %, reducing sugars above 65 %, ash below 0.5 % and a diastase index above 8.

The area covers the municipalities of Mirandela, Vila Flor, Moncorvo, Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Mogadouro, Alfândega da Fé, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Vila Nova de Foz Côa and Valpaços, plus the district of Bragança. Documents from the first half of the 18th century already mention this honey.

Why this matters to you: the jar should read Mel da Terra Quente; check the PDO logo and the label, since the name is tied to this north-eastern area.