Slovenski med

Slovenski med ("Slovenian honey") is honey with an EU protected geographical indication (PGI) from the whole territory of Slovenia. Seven kinds are sold under the name: acacia, lime, chestnut, fir, spruce, floral (nectar) and forest (honeydew) honey.

Acacia honey is nearly colourless to straw yellow and rarely crystallises; lime honey is light yellow with a green tint and a menthol scent; chestnut honey is dark and bitter; fir honey is grey-brown with a green sheen and sets slowly; floral honey crystallises quickly. Water is below 18.6 %, HMF below 15 mg/kg, sucrose below 10 g/100 g for acacia and below 5 g for the rest.

The honey is extracted, strained through sieves that do not remove pollen, liquefied only up to 40 °C, bottled in Slovenia and sealed with a label showing the kind, the batch and a QR code. Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) pollen is typical, and the bees are the local Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica).

Why this matters to you: look first for the kind of honey and the QR code on the label; the code lets you check the beekeeper's certificate.