Bee pollen
Pollen d’abeille
| Latin name | Apis mellifera |
|---|---|
| Family | Sweet pantry |
| Origin | Hives, spring and summer flowering |
| Season (France) | April – July |
| Flavour | Floral · Bitter · Honeyed |
| Typical price (France) | 30–60 €/kg |
What it is
A foraging bee glues pollen together with a drop of nectar and packs it into the baskets on her hind legs; the beekeeper harvests it with a trap that scrapes the pellets off as she comes home. Every colour in the jar is a different flower, which makes a pot of pollen a map of what was blooming that week.
In the kitchen
Heat turns it bitter and gluey - fold it into cold yogurt or scatter it at the moment of serving. Fresh pollen keeps in the freezer; dried keeps in the cupboard but has lost half its perfume.
Goes with
Yogurt Honey Fromage blanc Raspberry Hazelnut Fig
Same species
In season alongside
Black locust flower Calendula Chinotto Damask rose petals Elderflower Hyssop
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