As the name suggests, this honey is produced by bees who suck the nectar from the flowers of the homonymous plant. Eucalyptus is an evergreen tree plant, native to Oceania and the Philippines. It was studied and observed for the first time by a French botanist in the 1700s, who is also responsible for the name attributed to it.
Eucalyptus, in fact, derives from the Greek and means "hidden good". The reference is clearly not to the plant, but to its flower. The flower, in fact, remains completely hidden by the petals until the moment of flowering. It was introduced in Italy towards the end of the 18th century. It was widely used in the Agro Romano areas as it was a common belief that the scent of its leaves could reclaim the air and counter the spread of malaria. In fact, its contribution was linked to the absorption of the numerous stagnant waters in which mosquitoes, vectors of the disease, reproduced.
It is a very common plant throughout the Tyrrhenian coast and in Sicily and Sardinia, where it alone contributes to the production of 50% of the honey of the whole island. From its leaves an essential oil is produced which has strong calming, antiseptic, balsamic and antiparasitic properties for coughs.
The flowering period is between the months of July and August and from its flowers the bees produce very particular and characteristic honey.
Eucalyptus honey has an amber color and a rather compact and dense texture. It tends to crystallize rapidly, within a few months, appearing in medium or fine crystals. Once crystallized, its color turns to grayish-beige.
The flavor is often described as persistent, strong, intense, particularly balsamic and not excessively sweet. The nose recalls the smell of dried mushrooms or broth cube, while the taste is comparable to licorice and malt candies.
Eucalyptus honey is very rich in antioxidants, especially flavonoids. They are extremely useful for preventing inflammatory and degenerative phenomena and for fighting free radicals. It is therefore a useful food to counteract cellular aging. Some studies have shown that eucalyptus honey produced in Italy, Spain and Greece is much richer in flavonoids by virtue of the presence, in honey, of propolis collected from the same trees. Eucalyptus honey has, like honey in general, numerous antibacterial and antiseptic properties.
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