Abruzzo Honey

Abruzzo – ‘Il miele dell’Abruzzo’

Its western border is less than 50 miles due east of Rome. Comprised of the rugged Majella Mountains, the Gran Sasso d’Italia (the great stone of Italy)—the highest peak in the Appenines, Abruzzo national parks and ancient medieval villages. It is a region of large parks, a rich network of nature reserves; a destination for nature lovers. It is rarely visited by tourists which nevertheless offers a rich repertoire of robust mountain dishes and an abundance of seafood specialties. It has an ancient tradition of beekeeping, producing up to 15% of all honey in Italy, rare honeys of note include the Savory honey, Sideritis honey and Mullein or Verbasco honey. For the food lover there is a unique event, the Panarda, a gastronomic rite offering up to 50 courses.
Home to the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park, one of the largest protected areas in Europe, it covers 370,000 acres (150K hectares) and carries with it a rich tradition of agriculture and local products such as saffron, beans, cicerchie (wild chickpeas) and the legumes of L’Aquila area, marroni chestnuts and farro medio (spelt) from Laga, meat, ventricine (pork product), cheese, honey, and other niche products.

Honey Cities:

Ortona dei Marsi (L’Aquila)
Roccascalegna (Chieti)
City of Tornareccio, Chieti (CH), Italy

• Forest Honeydew – ‘Miele di bosco’ (from Metcalfa pruinosa)
• Horehound – ‘Miele di marrubio’ (Marrubium vulgare L.)
• Mullein (aka Great Mullein) – ‘Miele di verbasco’ (Verbascum spp.)
• Sainfoin – ‘Miele di lupinella’ (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.)
• Savory (aka Abruzzi Thyme Honey) – ‘Miele di santoreggia’ (Satureja montana L.)
• Sideritis – ‘Miele di stregonia’ (Sideritis syriaca)
• Sunflower – ‘Miele di girasole’ (Helianthus annuus L.)
• Sulla (aka Italian sainfoin, French honeysuckle. Sweetvetch) – ‘Miele di sulla’ (Hedysarum coronarium L.)
• Wildflower, Mountain Wildflower – ‘Millefiori, Millefiori di montagna’

Other honeys:

• Acacia – ‘Miele di acacia’ (Robinia pseudoacacia L.)
• Alfalfa – ‘Miele di erba medica’ (Medicago sativa L.)
• Borage – ‘Miele di borragine’ (Borago officinalis)
• Honey Rocket (aka Sanacciola) – ‘Miele di ruchetta o sanacciola’ (Cruciferae)
• Oak Honeydew – ‘Melata di quercia’ (Quercus robur, Q. petraea, Q. pubescens) (Insects: Lachnus iliciphilus, Lachnus roboris, Tuberculatus annulatus, Thelaxes dryophila)
• Thorn (aka Christ’s Thorn, Jerusalem Thorn) – ‘Miele di marruca’ (Paliurus spina-christi)
• Witch Grass – ‘Miele di erba strega’ (Labiatae)

PAT – Honey certified as a Traditional Italian Food.
Honey identified and cataloged by the Arc of Taste (Slow Foods)

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Resources and Further Reading

Italian – Abruzzo Region, Italy

Tourism: Province of Teramo, Abruzzo Region, Italy

Italian – Tourism: Province of L’Aquila, Abruzzo Region, Italy