Bitter Honey
If you’ve watched Stanley Tucci’s show called Searching for Italy, you might remember that one chapter of his Sardinia episode was entitled Bitter Honey. Why? Because he discovered an artisan honey there, produced from nectar of the strawberry tree, called bitter honey.
It’s called corbozzelo honey, Miele Amaro di Corbezzolo Sardo. So I bought some from Gustiamo.com. Amazon sells it as well, below right.
From Gustiamo.com: “This honey is bitter. Luigi Manias’s raw corbezzolo honey will change everything you thought you knew about honey. While it hits the palate with a deceptive sweetness, corbezzolo soon reveals its pungent secret: this honey is bitter. On the rocky wind-swept hills of Sardinia, corbezzolo honey is made from the Arbutus Unedo, which in English is often called the strawberry tree, because it produces a fruit similar to strawberries. It blooms for only three months of the year, and produces about half as much nectar as other flowers, so corbezzolo honey is considered very rare and precious.”
I’ve had the jar for months, but hadn’t taken the time to research how to eat the honey until now, and I found a perfect source online.
So this isn’t a recipe post, but me trying out bitter honey. I tried it first with fresh mozzarella and sliced figs on bread.
Gustiamo also recommends the honey with ricotta, and also “squash dishes like butternut squash caponata.”
So, this honey is really interesting. It didn’t exactly “wow” me. Why? Because it’s bitter!! They’re not kidding!
I also tried the honey with a slice of Gruyere, and it wasn’t as good of a pairing as the mozzarella. I’m definitely going to try squash next.
About the Author: Chef Mimi
Interesting. I loved that TV series!
Yes! It was so good!
Love it Mimi! I just harvested my figs from my little plant and used a local feta and some ginger honey. It was not bitter, but I do have some buckwheat honey that has a definite bitter edge.
So interesting!
I know! Bitter honey!!!
Thank you for introducing us to something new. I bet it kind of plays with the brain as you are used to honey being sweet and then you take your first bite. Must keep our eyes open for this at the markets.
It’s really fascinating, but just not good!
this is all new to me and so interesting! thank you for sharing it
Thanks Beth! It’s so interesting!
I use honey often but think I will wait to try this one until you have experimented with your jar of honey more. 😀
Ha! Well I don’t blame you!
I don’t think I can think of ‘honey’ and ‘bitter’ at the same time. Anyway, always interesting to hear of these unusual food items. Did you enjoy eating it or do you think you’ll just pop it at the back of the shelf for another day?
Oh, I shared it with a friend who likes “bitter,” and he took it home!!!
Thanks for posting this. very interesting
Thanks, Charlie!
Nice to know but I would not care for it :)
It’s very odd to taste bitter honey!
How clever are bees?! We have a couple of apiarists around here, and the honey’s flavour depends on the flowers of course. So interesting.
sherry
I know! So interesting!
Loved this post, Mimi! I can imagine bitter honey vinaigrette, and (because it’s me) I’m already thinking why not make a 2:1 bitter honey syrup and work it into a cocktail? For some reason, the name sounds like it could have been a 1970s rock band. “Put your hands together for… Bitter Honeeeey!” 😂
Ha! Love it! I think you’ve got something with a vinaigrette…
Interesting! I do watch Stanley Tucci when he is on late night here but had not struck this episode. Since I don’t ‘do’ much sweet it might be interesting – shall check our Amazon tho’ don’t really like making climate change worse by consuming imported food. Thanks for the story anyways :) !
Well it’s a fascinating episode!
I’ve never heard of this type of honey before, but I love it already!
It was very strange!
Mine is probably a very unpopular opinion, but I did not enjoy any of the Stanley Tucci shows. I like him a lot as an actor, but as a food person he gets on my last good g*y nerve. Mark and, I love, bitter honey, and I have never heard of this strawberry honey. I’ll have to get a jar. Our favorite bitter honey is chestnut, and we use it drizzled over creamy Gorgonzola cheese for dessert. Excellent!
Well I think I like his voice, and his passion. I certainly wouldn’t buy a cookbook of his, or his pots and pans. Yes, the strawberry tree was really interesting! And I didn’t know there was another bitter honey out there!
I’m definitely going to have to try this honey, and I love fig toast, to boot. :-) ~Valentina
It’s very interesting!
Bitter honey ..!? That’s wildly interesting!!
It really is!!!
A honey that’s bitter? That sounds crazy – but also very fun for new recipe ideas. I’ve been meaning to watch that show for a while now, too!
It’s a very interesting show.
Ha! You know I bought that same bitter honey from Gustiamo. I tried it once and it has sat unused on my shelf ever since. I’ll be curious to know if you find a combination. you like.
Oh that’s funny! Somebody suggested a vinaigrette with the honey. I might do that.
I think my husband will really like this because, hear me out, he loves Marmite. I will check it out on Amazon. Love Stanley Tucci’s travel series, although his personal life isn’t that appetizing …
I don’t know anything about his personal life! Now I’m intrigued!!! I tried Marmite once.
I saw Marmite at one of the basic grocery stores here in Atlanta! I was so surprised but didn’t pick it up. I’m a little unsure about bitter honey but it’s fun to learn about it! Psst…I’d try it with the ricotta!
Yes, I think I will. But with a sweetened ricotta desert? I think it would make the honey even more bitter. Not sure.
I’ve never heard of bitter honey before, and now I’m genuinely curious to try it just to see how that initial sweetness flips into bitterness.
There’s no flipping! It’s just BITTER!!!!