Blossom honey and honeydew honey
Generally, a distinction is made between honey and honeydew honey. Flower honey is produced by bees from flower nectar, the sugary juice of plant flowers. Bees and other insects are attracted to the smell of the sweet liquid once it has accumulated in the nectar cup. Blossom honey is characterized by its clear yellow color and sweet-mild taste, such as acacia honey, lavender blossom honey and rape honey.
Honeydew honey, as the name suggests, is obtained from honeydew produced, for example, by aphids and scale insects. The insects feed on various plant juices and excrete excess liquid in the form of honeydew. This sticky film gets on leaves, needles and twigs and the bees suck it up and recycle it further in the hive. Fir honey and leaf honey are honeydew honeys. In contrast to blossom honey, honeydew honey has a rather dark colour and a spicy to tart taste.
What types of honey are there in Germany?
There are a variety of delicious honeys, which are described in more detail below.
Acacia honey
Acacia honey comes from the flowers of the robinia, a deciduous deciduous tree. Honey has a clear golden color and a pleasant sweetness, which makes it particularly suitable for tea or the preparation of sauces. Due to the high fructose content, acacia honey remains liquid for a very long time.
Lavender flower honey
The creamy honey of lavender flowers comes mainly from Provence in southeastern France. It is characterized by light yellow (almost white) color, spicy and floral taste, with a clear lavender note.
Rape honey
In spring, oilseed rape is one of the most important bee-harvesting plants. Just as the large yellow fields smell of rapeseed, so does the rapeseed honey. It has a very sweet aroma and is characterized by its white shimmering color. The consistency of rape honey is pleasant and/or firm.
Fir honey
Fir honey comes from the silver fir, which is mainly found in the Black Forest, in the forests of Swabia and in the Bavarian Forest. Honey has a strong and resinous aroma and a greenish-black color. White fir honey remains liquid for several months, even years.
Leaf honey
Leaf honey is obtained from deciduous trees such as maple and oak. Its aroma is very strong and captivates with a sweet caramel note.
Special features
In Germany, no substances foreign to honey may be added to the honey and no substances specific to honey may be removed. The quality mark “Genuine German Honey” is only awarded to honeys that have been treated with particular care. Strict controls carried out by the German Beekeepers’ Association guarantee high quality.
