Meli Elatis Menalou Vanilia

Meli Elatis Menalou Vanilia is a Greek fir honey with a protected designation of origin (PDO), produced in parts of the Gortynia and Mantineia areas of Arcadia in the Peloponnese. The 1994 national decision requires that at least 80 % of it comes from fir; the rest, up to 20 %, is blossom honey from the same area.

The honey is light in colour with an opaque, milky-pearly look that gives an impression of reflections, and a particularly good taste; "Vanilia" in the name points to a vanilla-like character. Moisture is about 15 % (14 to 15.5 %), apparent sucrose is above 10 % (8 to 18 %) and the trisaccharide melezitose reaches about 9 %. That sugar profile is typical of honeydew, and the honey does not crystallise.

Combs are uncapped, the honey is spun out in a centrifuge, filtered through simple sieves and stored in stainless-steel containers. It must be packed inside the production zone, with no other treatment.

Why this matters to you: a light honey that stays runny is unusual among honeydew honeys, which are normally dark. The limits above help tell this name from ordinary fir honey.