Rosemary honey

Miel de romarin

What it is

Rosemary flowers in late winter, when almost nothing else on the Mediterranean garrigue is in bloom, so hives set among it fill with a nectar barely mixed with anything else — the miel de Narbonne that French apothecaries sold under its own name for centuries. It crystallises within weeks into a paste so white that first-time buyers often suspect it has been cut with sugar.

In the kitchen

Its resinous top note is volatile: stir it into anything above 40 °C and you are left with plain sweetness. Spoon it cold over fresh goat cheese, or fold it into whipped ricotta off the heat.

Goes with

Goat cheese Almond Apricot Lemon Ricotta Fig

In season alongside

Acacia honey Mangosteen Tupelo honey Black locust flower Pauillac lamb Asparagus

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