Wild Oak Honey - Catalonia

Wild Oak Honey
17.5 oz jar - Catalonia, Spain

Quercus pyrenaica
Wild Oak Honey

In the upper right corner (NE) of Spain resides Catalonia, just shy of twelve and half thousand square miles and seven and half million people. Ringed by the Pyrenees Mountains to the North and the Mediterranean Ocean to the west and southwest.

Barcelona, sits on the coast, a richly Mediterranean and cosmopolitan city full of wonderful food. Some of the dishes that could branded “catalonian” are Calcotada, Pan a la Catalana, Zarzuela de marisco, and Esqueixada.

This is where the Quercus pyrenaica, one of 75 oak species of wild oak in the world grow. Many years ago we had this very special honey on the shelves. And then we couldn’t get it anymore. But, now it’s back.

If you know “tree” honeys, that is honeys from trees, you know they have a distinct flavor. With a bit of “woodiness” to them, a strong, firm flavor. And in addition, what I would call "sharp" or "bitter twang". It’s a bitter twang that is music to honey lovers.

This harvest of Wild Oak Honey to me is the smoothest we have ever had. It’s distinct flavor is an easy memory recall, and this is one likable honey! Let a spoonful of honey savor in the mouth and after a bit you might get a tingle of burn in the back of the upper throat! Wonderful!

To the southwest of Barcelona lies the region of Lleida, one of the most bountiful in Catalonia. Extending from the fertile plains up to the rugged Pyrenees, it is a land of people who are warm and welcoming, and a people who gained centuries of knowledge in working that land and in preparing and consuming its abundance.

The lands of Lleida still preserve a wide variety of craftsmen, including butchers who make unbelievable sausages, olive growers whose presses run green with flavor, grape growers that turn out silky smooth vintages, shepherds and farmers that toil to produce exquisite cheese, and of course beekeepers; the different professions spread across the different local districts and have managed to preserve these millennial traditions.

This rich landscape yields an almost endless supply of fields, orchards, and wild tracts for nomadic beekeepers to work their bees. Cami la Plana produces some wonderful honeys from the abundant flora on the hills and plains of lower Lleida. Honey made from the flowers of wild oak trees is a true rarity, and one taste of this broodingly dark honey will let know why it rarely makes it to our shores.

Pourable and smooth in texture, this delicious honey has caramel and molasses notes as well as an aromatic finish with just a hint of bitterness. It possesses an agreeable amount of acidity that keeps the sweetness in check and makes for a great finish.

Want to learn more about honey?

Solid? Liquid? Good for you? Bad for you? Confused about honey? Read our series of articles about honey here, and learn more about what to look for and, just as important, what to avoid:
All About Honey Articles