Greece
has more bee hives “per acre” than any other country in Europe.
Greek honey has specific physical and chemical characteristics.
Ultimately, the Greek honey produced is unique in color, aroma, taste
and thickness.
The
history and use of Greek honey is impressive. Since ancient times
honey, has been used both as a food and a source of medicinal
therapy. Some of the legendary greats of Greece such as the “Father
of Medicine”, Hippocrates, wrote, "Honey and pollen cause
warmth, clean sores and ulcers, soften hard ulcers of lips, heal
carbuncles and running sores." Aristotle, philosopher and
student of Socrates, believed that honey prolonged life. There was
“honey therapy” used at the most famed health spa in ancient
times , the Asklepieion.
Democritus
(460-370 BC), Greek philosopher and physician, chose a diet rich in
honey and lived until he was 109 years old.
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| Ancient Greek Coin |
Beekeeping in Ancient Greece
Greece
is where the art of beekeeping (apiculture) started in early
prehistoric times. Honey and the collection of honey was so prolific
in Greece that you can find more than “40 ancient names” for
honey containers and innumerable references to honey throughout
ancient Greek history.
In
ancient
Greece,
honey was produced from the Archaic
to
the Hellenistic
periods.
In 594 BC,
beekeeping
around Athenswas
so widespread that Solon
passed
a law about it: "He who sets up hives of bees must put them 300
feet (91 metres) away from those already installed by another".
In
the 5th century BC and later, archaeological evidence shows that bees
were kept in ceramic beehives—(large pottery jars) in which the
interior had been incised before firing to provide a rough surface
for the bees to attach the combs.
Greek
beekeepers of the Hellenistic period did not hesitate to move their
hives over rather long distances to maximise production, taking
advantage of the different vegetative cycles in different regions.
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| Ancient Greek Jewelry |
Cooking with Honey
The
world’s first cook book comes from Greece. Even today, loukoumades
(honey puff balls), melomacarano (Xmas honey macaroon cookie), sesame
and honey bars are all made with honey and are a staple handed down
through the millennia!
In
the early centuries B.C., the Ancient Greeks made little honey cakes
from flour, honey and oil, sometimes baked with fresh flowers inside
them, as supplications to their gods.
Honey
was the first sweetener used by the Greeks in their diet for the
preparation of sweets and delicacies which made honey very popular in
ancient Greece. Honey, grapes, and olives formed the beginning of
Greek gastronomy.
Honey
and Mythology
Greek
Honey has the largest mythological tradition in all the histories in
the world. Ancient Greek civilizations regarded honey as a symbol of
blessings, and happiness. It was also used in funerals, when honey
was offered to spirits of dead people.
Greece
has a plethora of myths starting with a pretty strong case for
honey…‘It was the food of the Gods of Olympus known as
“Ambrosia”.
In
Greek mythology, it is said that cupid dipped his arrows in honey to
fill the lovers heart with sweetness.
