Chestnut Honey

If you love high percentage dark chocolate, you'll appreciate this honey.  Dark, dense woody aromas, with a strong tannic finish. It’s loaded with pollen, minerals, and tannins, with a very low acidity which gives it its unique pungency. This intense Chestnut Honey has a uniquely Tuscan character— trace sweetness with a persistent dark cocoa finish.

Honey is the ultimate embodiment of terroir: specific flora from the bees’ local environment gives each honey its distinctive flavor, viscosity, and color, so the resulting product is truly reflective of place. This Chestnut Honey is made by bees feeding in chestnut forests high up in the Apennine mountain range between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. 

First introduced thousands of years ago from Sardis (today’s Turkey), the chestnut tree (Castanea sativa), a cousin of beeches and oaks, is common throughout Europe. At one time it was called “Sardininian Nut,” and is now simply called “chestnut.” For millennia the nut served as a staple food for people living in the mountainous regions of Italy, taking the place of grains and potatoes in many dishes due to its high carbohydrate content.

Enjoy it as an accompaniment to fresh cheeses.  Add it to our basket with Pecorino Toscano and serve with sliced fresh pears. It is also ideal in or on gelato: substitute Chestnut Honey for sugar in a basic vanilla gelato recipe or drizzle over vanilla ice cream for a stunning flavor contrast. Try featuring it in a meaty main—drizzle over porchetta, or use as a glaze for any grilled or roast chicken, duck or pork.