Honeycomb

Miel en rayon

What it is

Worker bees secrete wax from glands on the underside of the abdomen, spending several kilos of honey for every kilo of comb they build. Until the centrifugal extractor arrived in the 1860s all honey was sold this way — the jar is the modern form, not the comb.

In the kitchen

Cut it with a knife dipped in hot water and serve it at room temperature — straight from the fridge the wax chews like a candle. On a board it wants a hard salty cheese, not a soft one.

Goes with

Pecorino Romano Ricotta Blue cheese Walnut Fig Prosciutto di Parma

Same species

Bee pollen Honey

In season alongside

Black locust flower Greengage Mirabelle Bergeron apricot Acacia honey Anise hyssop

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