Honey

One of the island's oldest and magnificent traditions, Malta’s beekeeping history dates back to the days of the Phoenicians. Evidence of this can still be found in certain parts of the countryside where one comes across apiaries hewn intricately out of rocks.

Famous throughout the Mediterranean since ancient times, Greeks actually named the Island ‘Melite’ after the Greek word meli for honey. With beekeeping methods remaining unchanged for centuries, bees were kept in earthenware jars under carob trees until hives were introduced in the 1950s.

Maltese honey, or liquid gold as it’s often referred to, is said to be a medicinal product that varies throughout the year, depending on which seasonal flowers Apis Mellifera Fruneri (Malta’s endemic honey bee) happens to be pollinating. 

Spring honey, known as multi-flora, which gets its flavour from the nectar of the citrus, borage, thistle, and other wildflowers,  is not only a sumptuously sweet and floral taste sensation, but a balm for allergy and hay fever sufferers too.

Summer honey, flavored by the wild thyme growing on Maltese garrigue, is a tantalizing taste sensation with a higher thyme pollen count than honey found elsewhere in the world. With the season lasting only a week, however, beekeepers must act fast!

The slightly heavier carob flavoured Autumn honey, works wonders on a sore throat, though its taste varies from area to area. Its season depends on the arrival of the September rains, after which the bees move from the zingy eucalyptus flowers to the carob trees.  

For those who are truly sweet on Maltese honey, a Honey Making Tour is an absolute must. These unique and informative attractions take visitors through the delicate honey-making process, allowing them to inspect the hives, meet the bees and sample the different kinds of honey.

Whilst delightful on its own, honey also plays a prominent role in the sweeter side of Maltese cuisine. Particularly tasty are the mouth-watering imqaret (date-filled pastries), and the splendid Lenten kawarżimal, a tantalising mixture of honey, almonds, and spices.

An absolute must-try for any sweet-toothed traveller, it won’t take much to convince you that Maltese honey really is the bee’s knees!