From beeswax candles and mead to the amber nectar you pour on your pancakes, Malta has a heritage of honey making that stretches back more than 2,000 years.
The Mediterranean archipelago even has its own species — the Maltese honeybee (Apis mellifera ruttneri), which evolved after the last ice age around 10,000 years ago when the islands were separated from mainland Europe.
In fact, there’s a good chance the name Malta derives from an ancient Greek term melitē which means “honey-sweet.”
Visitors can tap into to Malta’s honey culture by visiting an apiary (honeybee farm). One of the island’s top producers, Golden Island supervises bees at several historic sites including the ruins of early Christian settlements at Tas-Silġ and San Pawl Milqi, and the Għar Dalam Cave with its paleolithic artifacts.
Another way to sample Maltese honey is ducking into the wondrous C. Camilleri & Sons in Valletta. Founded in 1843 and the nation’s oldest confectionary, the shop creates traditional Tal-Ħelu made with local honey and many other sweet treats.
Meanwhile, let MI Malta sweeten your island itinerary by mapping out stops at several buzzworthy spots.
https://www.guidememalta.com/en/sweet-as-honey-the-story-of-malta-s-liquid-gold
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltese_honey_bee
