France Honey

content:encoded The appreciation of the French for honey and their high regard for bees is rooted deeply within their history.

Much of what is now France, and indeed most of Western Europe, was originally occupied by the ancient Celtic civilization of Gauls. Bees had been important to the Celts for mead, honey and wax, and beekeeping (in addition to wild honey gathering) by Gauls may have begun with the influence of the Greeks in the late 5th and 6th centuries BC, or perhaps with the occupation by Rome in the 1st to 5th centuries AD. Farming and beekeeping skills were passed on through the fall of the Roman Empire and the Germanic invasions of the Merovingian Dynasty of the Franks that began with the conquests of Clovis in the mid-5th century, and ended with the final expansion of the great medieval king, Charlemagne in the mid 9th century.

Historians speculate the ruin of Charlemagne’s empire in 843 triggered the creation of Germanic and French kingdoms and became the starting point in the history of France as an independent state.

We can thank Charlemagne’s penchant for organization that produced the earliest written documentation of beekeeping. Charlemagne’s Capitularies (rules/laws) from around 794 AD specify estate management and revenue collection rules for royal estates. He specifies a beekeeper be assigned to each estate and a tally of income from honey, wax and mead be kept.

Merovingian Bees (Childeric Bees)

The early Merovingians were fascinated by bees. Discovered in the Merovignian tomb of Childeric I, the father of Clovis, in 1653 by a mason working on the reconstruction of the church of Saint-Brice in Tournai, were several gold items including 300 golden bees.

The Merovignian Bees influenced Napoleon, who, looking for a heraldic symbol different from the fleur-de-lys, used them as an inspiration for his own personal symbol and were incorporated into the Coat of Arms of the new Napoleonic French empire.

Regions of France

Regions of France

France is divided into 22 regions and every one produces honey. The largest producer is the Rhone-Alps region and the smallest is the island of Corsica. France has one of the oldest and best managed honey industries in the world.

Other French Regions:

Island of Corsica Guadeloupe and Martinique Islands Reunion Island Mayotte French Guiana

Honey from France

Single Flower Honey - Miel de Cru

  • Acacia honey - 'Miel d'acacia' (Robinia pseudoacacia L.)
  • Alfalfa Honey - 'Miel de luzerne' (Medicago sativa L.)
  • Arborea Heather Honey (aka White Heather Honey)- 'Miel de bruyère blanche or Miel de Bruyère Erica arborea' (Erica arborea)
  • Asphodel Honey - 'Miel d'asphodèle' (Asphodelus)(Location: Corsica)
  • Blackberry Honey (aka Bramble Honey) - 'Miel de ronce' (rubus ssp.)
  • Buckwheat honey - 'Miel de sarrasin' (Fagopyrum esculentum)
  • Carrot Honey - 'Miel de carotte' (Daucus Carota)
  • Cherry Honey - 'Miel de cerisier' (Prunus ssp.)
  • Chestnut honey - 'Miel de châtaignier' (Castanea sativa Mill)
  • Clemintine Honey - 'Le miel de clémentinier' (Citrus reticulata or C. Clementina)(Location: Corsica)
  • Clover honey - 'Miel de trèfle' (Trifolium ssp.)
  • Dandelion Honey - 'Miel de pissenlit' (Taraxacum officinale)
  • Erica Cinerea Heather honey - 'Miel de bruyère cendrée or Miel de Bruyère Erica cinerea or Miel de bruyère erica' (Erica cinerea)
  • Eucalyptus Honey - 'Miel d'eucalyptus' (Eucalyptus ssp.)
  • Fennel Honey - 'Miel de fenouil' (Foeniculum vulgare)
  • Hawthorn Honey - 'Miel d'aubépine' (Crataegus monogyna)
  • Heather Honey (aka LIng Heather Honey or Common Heather Honey) - 'Miel de bruyère callune or Miel de bruyère commune' (Caluna vulgaris)
  • Alder Honey (aka Buckthorn Honey) - 'Miel de bourdaine' (Rhamnus frangula)
  • Holly Honey - 'Miel de houx' (Ilex aquifolium)
  • Ivy Honey - 'Miel de lierre' (Hedera helix)
  • Lavender Honey Try this - Exceptional - 'Miel de lavande or Miel de lavandin' (Lavandula ssp., Lavandula officinalis, Lavandula x intermedia)
  • Lemon Honey - 'Miel de citronnier' (Citrus ssp.)
  • Linden - 'Miel de tilleul' (Tilia americana)
  • Metcalfa Honeydew Honey - 'Miel de metcalfa' (From insect: Metcalfa pruinosa)
  • Oak Honeydew Honey - 'Miel de chêne or Miel de forêt' (Quercus ssp.)
  • Orange Honey - 'Miel d'oranger' (Citrus ssp.)
  • Phacelia Honey - 'Miel de phacelie' (Phacelia tanacetifolia Benth.)
  • Pine Honeydew or Spruce Honeydew - 'Miel de sapin or Miel d'épicéa' (Pinus brutia)
  • Rape Honey or Spring Honey - 'Miel de colza or Miel de printemps' (Brassica napus)
  • Raspberry Honey - 'Miel de framboisier' (Rubus idaeus)
  • Rhododendron Honey - 'Miel de rhododendron' (Rhododendron ssp.)
  • Rosemary Honey Try this - Exceptional - 'Miel de romarin' (Rosmarinus officinalis) - (Other notes: Also called "Honey Narbonne," was regarded by the Romans as the best honey in the world. Although, strictly speaking, this honey was harvested in late Spring from the Garrigue (wild hillside) and is a mix of rosemary, thyme and lavender honey with moorland blooms, and was not mainly rosemary. It is available now from earlier spring harvests that generally produce purer rosemary honey. It is mainly produced in the Corbières)
  • Sainfoin Honey - 'Miel de sainfoin' (Onobichrys vicifolia)
  • Savory Honey - 'Miel de sarriette' (Satureja ssp., Satureja montana L.)
  • Silver Fir Honey - 'Miel de sapin pectine or Miel de sapin des vosges' (Abies pectinata or Abies alba, insect: Cinara genus)
  • Stoechas Lavender Honey (aka Spanish Lavender Honey) - 'Miel de Lavande Stoechas or Miel de Lavande Maritime' (Lavandula stoechas)
  • Strawberry Tree Honey. - 'Miel d'arbousier' (Arbutus unedo L.)
  • Sunflower - 'Miel de tournesol' (Helianthus annuus L.)
  • Thistle Honey - 'Miel de chardons' (Cardus ssp.)
  • Thyme Honey - 'Miel de thym' (Thymus ssp.)
  • Wild Thyme Honey Try this - Exceptional - 'Miel de serpolet or Miel de thym sauvage or Miel de thym serpolet' (Thymus serpilum)
  • Willow Honey - 'Miel de saule' (Salix caprea)

Multifloral Honey - Miel Polyfloral

  • Honey of the Plateau - 'Miel de causse' (Mainly from; wild thyme, sainfoin, blackberry and clover) (Location: Produced mainly in the Causses of Mejean, Larzac and Quercy. The Causses are limestone plateaus on the Massif Central region of France, primarily in the regions of Auvergne & Limousin. Other variations: 'Miel de causse Méjean')
  • Garrigue Honey - 'Miel de garrigue' (Including rosemary, thyme, savory, white clover, blackberry and lavender) (From the Mediterranean regions of Languedoc-Roussillon & Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur. Garrigue 'scrubland' describes geological/botanical areas around the Mediterranean. Characterized by limestone plateaus interspersed with valleys and basins; wet winters and hot, dry summers; shrubs and herbaceous plants with different species dominating, depending upon the location and use of the land. Ranging from open garrigues suitable to grazing goats, to closing garrigues transforming to forests, dominated by shrub and possibly the beginnings of oak and juniper. Other variations: 'Miel de Garrigue des Pyrenees, Miel de Garrigue d'Automne')
  • Forest Honey (aka Deciduous or Hardwood Forest Honey) - 'Miel de forêt or Miel de feuillus' (Nectar of lime, clover and honeydew of maples, ash and linden trees)
  • High Mountain Honey - 'Le miel de haute montagne' (Mainly rhododendron and wild thyme) (Produced mainly in the Western Pyrenees at an altitude of 2,000 meters in the Pays de La Loire region. This was once known as Miel de Chamonix, a premium honey, named after the small alpine town that actually produced very little of it)
  • Mountain Honey - ''Le miel de montagne' (main: raspberry, blueberry, clover, knapweed (centaurea ssp.), trefoil (lotus ssp.), hawthorn (crataegus ssp.), wild cherry (prunus avium) and basswood - variable: fir honeydew, hogweed (heracleum ssp), erica, buckwheat (polygonum ssp.), buckthorn, forget-me-not (myosotis ssp.), thyme, widow flower (knautia ssp.), scabious (scabious ssp.), bellflower (campanula ssp.), rock rose (cistus ssp.), fireweed, dandelion) (Honey from various mountainous regions over 1000 meters above sea level: Alps, Pyrenees, Massif Central, Jura, Vosges. May be light (clair) or dark (foncé) depending upon composition.)
  • Spring Honey - 'Miel de printemps' (Rapeseed (Brassica napus) fruit trees, sainfoin, willow, alfalfa, hawthorn, dandelion) (Harvest late May to early June. Miel de printemps is actually brand name)
  • Summer Honey - 'Miel d'été' (acacia, clover, phacelia (phacelia ssp.), mulberry (morus ssp.), honey dew)
  • Country Honey - 'Miel du pays' ()
Try this - Exceptional - Exceptional or Rare Honey

Marks of quality and origin

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Fisheries oversees the National Institute for Origin and Quality (INAO). INAO is responsible for management of all identification marks of quality and origin.
Quality Labels France - AOC, AOC, IGP, Label Rouge, STG, AB, AB

Honey of Corsica - ‘Miel de Corse’ (AOC) Fir Honeydew of Vosges - ‘Miel de sapin des Vosges’ (PDO) Honey of Provence - ‘Meil de Provence’ (PGI, Red Label - ‘Label Rouge’)

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Resources and Further Reading: The Capitularies of Charlemagne: Capitulare De Villis and Brevium exempla - translations of the documents. History of France: Ancient Frank History The Merovingian Kingdoms, 450-751 by author Ian Wood, publisher: Longman. Abstract A Note on Childeric’s Bees The Bees of Napoleon by Kathryn Kane Federation of Red Label (FLR) - French Honeys of Provence - French France Consumer Code for honey Google Translated to English Garrigue Wiki - French Agricultural Tourism France