I could have titled this ‘have you tried honey on Tenerife?’ as the island’s honey comes in many delectable and interesting flavours.
No other Canary Island can match the range of sweet flavours Tenerife has to offer. You can even pick up a jar of tajinaste honey here.
Being latecomers to appreciating just how dreamy honey actually is, we’re still working our way through them. I knew it was a wonder product with magical medicinal properties but, being more of a savoury than a sweet person, had never really tuned into how it could transform a piece of toast.
Miel de castaño (chestnut honey) has been quite hard to find for a while thanks to the effects of the drought a couple of years ago. Never-ending sunshine might be great for tourism but it plays havoc with the island’s eco systems… of which bees are an essential part.
Thankfully, the drought was a blip and this year miel de castaño is back on the honey menu.
If you’ve never tried it, you’re in for a surprise. In all honesty, we weren’t sure about it after our first taste. It’s not as sweet as many honeys and has a distinctive flavour that is brimming with the woody scents of the forest. Our first resaction was ‘hmm, interesting’.
But we could see how it could be an acquired taste.
Each time we drizzled it on toast and the slightly bittersweet chestnuty flavours swirled around the mouth, the more it seduced us.
Yesterday we finally declared that the miel de flores, that had been doing a weekly battle with the chestnut honey, was lacking in personality when compared to the dark, evocative flavours of the miel de castaño. We were total converts.
Miel de castaño is a bold honey and it might not suit all palates. However, once it enchants you, it makes most bog standard honeys seem tame and lacking in flavour by comparison.
Jack is co-owner, writer and photographer for BuzzTrips and the Real Tenerife series of travel websites as well as a contributor to online travel sites and travel magazines. Follow Jack on Google+
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