Pine honey (Greek:πευκόμελο,romanized: pefkomelo;Turkish:çam balı) is a type ofhoneydew honey.[1] It is a sweet and spicy honey, with some woody notes, a resinous fragrance and dark amber color. It is a commonbreakfast dish in Turkey andGreece, where it is drizzled overkaymak and eaten with bread.[1]
Pine honey is an unusual honey, because it is not produced entirely byhoney bees.[2] It is produced by bees that collecthoneydew (sugary secretions) from ascale insect species calledMarchalina hellenica, which lives on the sap of certainpine trees.[3] TheM. hellenica can be found on theTurkish Pine (Pinus brutia), as well as theAleppo Pine (P. halepensis),Austrian Pine (P. nigra),Scots Pine (P. sylvestris), andStone Pine (P. pinea).[4][5]
Pine honey is commonly produced anywhere pine forests are plentiful and conventional honey sources, such as flowers or fruit tree blossoms, are few. It can be found in some heavily forested areas ofGermany,Norway,Italy,[6]New Zealand, and theUnited States but is primarily produced in the pine forests of theeastern Mediterranean.[3][7][8] Major production occurs in Turkey, the Middle East, the Balkans, and manyGreek mountains and islands. The monastic communities atMount Athos in Greece are renowned for their pine honey production and throughout Greece pine honey makes up 60–65% of total honey production.[9] Turkey produces 92% of the world’s pine honey.[10][11]Muğla Province accounts for 80% of Turkish pine honey production.[12]
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