Oak-tree honeydew honey

Oak-tree honeydew honey (Quercus species)

[caption id=“attachment_5766” align=“alignright” width=“300”][] Sessile Oak[/caption]

While it is obtained periodically in good quantities, some feel its quality is inferior to spruce and silver fir honeydew. Unusual for honeydew, Oak honey made with oak-tree honeydew does not remain liquid for long; it crystallizes firmly, forming large crystals. Oak-tree honeydew is quite common in central and southern Italy, but also found in France, Greece, Bulgaria (Sessile oak Quercus petraea), Croatia, Serbia (Chestnut oak Quercus petraca) and Slovakia.

Holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) honeydew is probably the worst of the oak honeydews, The insects, which play the largest role in oak-tree honeydew production, are Tuberculalus annulalus, and T. borealis.

A rare type of Oak Honeydew honey made without insects comes from Croatia from the Italian or Hungarian Oak Q. frainetto in the Požega valley region. Every 5 to 8 years the production of acorns increases and as a consequence, a sweet sap is produced in copious quantities. At the same time, an Oak honeydew honey is collected with characteristics atypical for Honeydew honey; no special honeydew sugars and low conductivity.

Confirmed by historical records this is a plant-originated honeydew used directly by bees for honey, with no mediation of plant-sucking insects.

Characteristics:
Aroma: Intense.
Taste: Very spicy and not too sweet, sometimes a slight taste of licorice and mint. The darker its color, the more its aromatic flavor. At first completely clear and fluid, but it soon firms up and crystallizes fairly quickly.

Translations: Germany: Eiche Honig or Eiche Waldhonig; France: miel de chêne or miel de miellat de chêne; Italian: Quercia miele or Miele di melata di quercia; Spain: Miel de roble or Roble miel de mielada; Slovenian: Hrast medu; Bulgarian: мед дъб; Greek: μέλι δρυός; Croatia: Hrastove medljike

Image credit: By Willow (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons (GFDL / CC-BY-SA-3.0 / CC-BY-2.5).