Boasting a long tradition in beekeeping and honey-making process, this liquid gold produced locally has forever been considered of superior quality so much so that the Greeks named the island Melite after the Greek word for honey, a name which continued being used under the Romans. Today, honey is still produced in large quantities by beekeepers across Malta and Gozo.

How is honey produced?

A sweet, thick, golden substance made by some species of insects using nectar from flowers, the honey produced by honey bees is the most common type. Bees collect nectar from flowers and store it in their honeycomb cells, where they add enzymes to the nectar and dry it from water by flapping their wings to speed up the evaporation process. Once the honey is ready, the bees seal each cell with a piece of wax that acts just like a lid. A beekeeper then takes the frames that contain the honey and removes the wax cappings with either an uncapping fork or knife. The frames are placed in a honey extractor to remove the honey which is then filtered and left to settle in what is known as the settling tank. Once this process has come to an end, the honey is then bottled.

As you're standing in front of the aisle of your nearest supermarket where jars and jars of honey are on display, you'll notice that there are variations in colour and you might be wondering why this is so. What gives honey its own unique taste and different properties is the variety of flowers the bees visit during their forage time.

What is beekeeping and why is it important in honey production? 

Also known as apiculture, beekeeping involves maintaining honey bee colonies usually contained in hives in order to collect honey and other products such as beeswax, pollen and royal jelly. Bees tend to make a good surplus of honey which means that beekeepers can then harvest it to be consumed as food without jeopardising the integrity of the bee colony.

Malta is well-known for its pure honey and in effect, it sports a long history of beekeeping with the Phoenicians attributed as the ones who introduced beekeeping in apiaries and earthenware jars on the island. In fact, apiaries dating back to Punic times known as migbha are still prevalent in the countryside such as the one found in Xemxija which dates back to Roman times. Although technically these can still be used, today's beekeeping techniques have changed to include movable frame hives.

Honey was typically gathered once a year around the feast of St. Anne which falls on July 26. Yet, the technique and tools used back then differed to a great extent with what is used today. For instance, honey was placed in pails or pots, whereas prior to the emergence of smokers, beekeepers used to burn some grass to create smoke since it is known to calm bees.

Impressively, nowadays there are around 220 beekeepers, while the Malta Beekeeping Association is at the forefront of this industry ensuring that standards are kept, the local endemic honeybee - the Apis Mellifera Ruttneriare - is preserved and that the public is well-informed on the process of beekeeping and the production of honey.

Honey throughout the ages

The process of humans collecting honey from wild bees is thought to date back to 15,000 years ago, while efforts to domesticate honeybees are shown in Egyptian art around 4,500 years ago. Hives and smoke were used, while honey was stored in jars some of which were found in the tombs of pharaohs such as that of Tutankhamun.

Until sugar became more widely available, honey was the primary source of sweetener throughout the world. Ancient Greece and Sicily were among the top honey hubs, however, Maltese honey also managed to make a name for itself and was even exported abroad.

What sets Maltese honey apart from other types?

Honey is a mix of sugars, primarily simple sugars like glucose and fructose, water and a number of complex compounds like vitamins, enzymes and pollen that gives it its unique colour, flavour and health benefits. It is said that you can identify Maltese honey by looking at the pollen mix. For instance, wild thyme honey tends to contain the highest percentage of thyme pollen compared to any other honey found worldwide, with Malta's variety, in particular, containing 85 to 90 per cent thyme pollen.

How many varieties of honey are produced in Malta & Gozo?

Locally honey is harvested 3 times a year as outlined below:

Autumn honey: harvested between November and December, the nectar is collected from eucalyptus and carob trees and produces honey that is a dark amber colour which generates the strongest taste and aroma.

Spring honey: one of the lightest types of honey with a liquid consistency and a yellow colour, it is harvested between May and June. A multiflora honey, this means that it originates from many types of flowers present during springtime such as boar thistle, citrus trees and red clover, while it contains a variety of pollen and nectar.

Summer honey: originating from nectar collected from the Mediterranean thyme, this honey is harvested between July and August and has a yellowish colour.

What are the health benefits of honey?

Praised for its healing properties and antibacterial action, honey has been used in medicine for over 5,000 years and for good reason. High in antioxidants, mainly organic acids and phenolic compounds like flavonoids, these can help lower blood pressure, while honey has nutrients like fructose, maltose and sucrose. Containing little to no fibre, fat or protein, there is some evidence suggesting that it can be consumed with caution by diabetics, however, it is always best to ask your doctor before doing so. What's more, it can help suppress coughs. Having said that, there are occasions when you need to err on the side of caution. For example, children under the age of one should not consume honey since they may develop botulism.