The market · Seasonings and ferments

Honey

Nectar concentrated by bees — how it tastes depends on what the bees fed on.

floral · sweet

What to do with it

Classics built on it
CantoneseChar siuStrips of pork shoulder in a sweet soy marinade, roasted hot and glazed until the edges char.No one here has made it yetShandongDezhou braised chickenA whole chicken, legs tucked in, glazed and fried golden, then braised for hours in a spiced soy stock until the meat falls from the bone.No one here has made it yetShandongPoetry and Rites ginkgoGinkgo nuts, shelled and blanched, simmered in syrup with honey and lard until they're glazed and tender — a sweet from the Kong family's banquet table.No one here has made it yetZhejiangHoney-glazed Jinhua hamA square of Jinhua ham, steamed several times with rock sugar and wine until tender and sweet, then glazed with honey and served with lotus seeds.No one here has made it yetAnhuiFuliji roast chickenA whole chicken glazed, fried red-gold and then simmered in a spiced master stock until the meat falls from the bone.No one here has made it yetYunnanXuanwei hamA whole leg of pork salted in winter and hung to cure in the cool mountain air for a year or more, eaten steamed, sliced, or cooked into soups, stir-fries and mooncakes.No one here has made it yetValencianTurrónA Christmas sweet of almonds and honey — hard and crunchy in the Alicante style, soft and ground to a paste in the Xixona style.No one here has made it yetBurgundianPain d'épices de DijonA dense, spiced honey loaf that keeps for weeks, sliced thin and eaten with butter or with foie gras.No one here has made it yetPolishObwarzanek krakowskiA ring of twisted dough, boiled briefly and then baked, crusted with poppy seed, sesame or salt and sold from street carts.No one here has made it yet

Kinds

Mild (acacia, clover)
Light, stays runny.
Strong (heather, buckwheat, chestnut)
Dark, malty or bitter-edged.

Goes with

lemonyoghurtfetachilli

Cooked with, here

about 30 g well-aged comtébutterbutter plus a little neutral oilchivecreamday-old brioche loafdijonegg

How much, here

Comté French Toast BitesHoneyDaryl

Knowing it

Where to buy
Local beekeepers and markets.
Worth knowing
Crystallised honey isn't spoiled. Warm the jar gently in water to loosen it.

Kitchens that keep it in

The Valencian Community — Spain's eastern coast, from Castellón to AlicanteValencianRice country: rice cooked dry in wide pans, soupy in pots and baked in the oven, beside the oranges, almonds, tiger nuts and turrón of Spain's orchard coast.7 classicsAndalucía — the south of Spain, from the Atlantic at Cádiz to the Mediterranean at AlmeríaAndalusianThe hot south: cold soups pounded from bread, oil and garlic, fish fried crisp in olive oil, sherry from Jerez, and a little something to eat with every drink.7 classicsGreece — the mainland and islands of the Aegean and Ionian SeasGreekOlive oil poured freely, lemon and oregano, wild greens and sheep's cheese, and fish grilled by the sea — food for sharing, slowly, outdoors.10 classics

More seasonings and ferments

Seasonings and fermentsAmazakesweet, ricey, creamyNot cooked here yetSeasonings and fermentsApple brandyappley, warm, oaky3 classicsSeasonings and fermentsAsam kandissour, tartsourNot cooked here yetSeasonings and fermentsAwazehot, warm, tangyhotNot cooked here yet