About 33 km north of Catania, and 160 km southeast of Palermo, busy bees thrive on the eastern coast of Sicily, on the slopes of Mount Etna. Although the small village of Zafferana Etnea only houses 10,000 residents, the smaller residents, honey bees, outnumber these villagers 7,200:1. With these numbers, this area manages to collect some very appetizing and unique types of honey. One can find vast diversity in flavors available, including: orange blossom, eucalyptus, and chestnut, just to name a few.
In addition to honey, local companies passionate about bees offer a range of personal products, such as soap, lip balm, and face cream including royal jelly, as well as candies, spices, wines and liquors.
Zafferana honey production makes up over 20% of all Italian honey. But, it’s not alone in Sicily. Whilst speaking of Sicilian honey, one must also take note of Sortino. About an hour south of Catania, the bees are busy making some of the most delightful honey in Italy. Sortino, a town in the province of Syracuse, Sicily, is also top producer of honey citrus. Celebrated for its properties and organoleptic characteristics, honey citrus is one of the most popular honey available today. Sicily has seen an increased production of citrus honey in the island’s southern citrus groves. This area is known for mixed citrus honey with notes of orange, lemon and tangerine, rather than single variety honey.
So, while booking your 2 day conference ticket for the 2017 IWINETC, why not book an extra day or two and go indulge in some honey on one of the post conference tours on offer! And, don’t forget to bring home your favorite bottle to sweeten and flavor yogurt, whipped cream and deserts, cream, mascarpone or ricotta. Then, pair with your favorite wine! Experiment and have some culinary fun! And, don’t forget to tell us which pairings are your favorite. Post them on our Facebook page, or on twitter @iwinetc. Who can come up with the best pairing?
