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University of California Press

About the Book

Showcases the wonderful world of honey from hive to jar.
 
A beautifully illustrated global survey of the flavor of honey, The World Atlas of Honey includes profiles of more than eighty countries and the botanical sources of honey found in each. With text, illustrations, and photos, honey expert C. Marina Marchese takes readers through the global history of honey production from the earliest beekeepers to today's harvests.
 
This colorful guide celebrates the exceptional range and diversity of honey, revealing how terroir—the environment in which a food is produced—influences honey's qualities just as it does for wine, olive oil, coffee, and chocolate. The book also covers the methods used by honey sommeliers to taste and evaluate honey. Unique and authoritative, The World Atlas of Honey puts honey on the culinary map and elevates it to an epicurean treasure.

About the Author

C. Marina Marchese is the international best-selling author of The Honey ConnoisseurHoney for Dummies, and Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper. She is a docent for the Italian National Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey, where she received her formal training. In 2013, she established the American Honey Tasting Society, an educational organization that teaches the Italian methods of honey sensory analysis. Marina's website is honeysommelier.com, and she can be found on social media @honeysommelier.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction: the story of honey

PART ONE
The World of Honey

The sweet art of honey
The honey harvest
The terroir of honey
Taste honey like a sommelier
Tasting notes: flavors and flowers
Defects in honey
Honey fraud
Health, medicine, and beauty
Sourcing honey
Honey in cooking
Honey and cheese

PART TWO
The Atlas of Honey

NORTH AMERICA
Canada, United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Costa Rica

SOUTH AMERICA
Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay

EUROPE
Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Baltic States, Ukraine

AFRICA
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar

ASIA
Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Oman, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia

OCEANIA
Australia, New Zealand, Pitcairn Island

Further reading
Index
Picture credits
Acknowledgments

Reviews

"Beautifully laid out and illustrated . . . it is the Atlas section of this book which makes it such
an engaging guide to the diversity of the honey world. Taking us on a global tour of terroir and beekeeping practice, it examines the landscapes, flora and bees which create the archetypal honeys of more than 80 different countries."
BeeCraft
"Comprehensive, beautifully illustrated with many photographs." 
BBKA News
“Readers will browse this volume with new wonder and appreciation for the insects and plants (and humans) that work together to make honey in nearly every corner of the world.”
Booklist
“It’s hard to fathom all that bees–and their honey–do for us, but The World Atlas of Honey . . .  comes close. One key takeaway? Pairings are a perfect entry point for jumping into all things apiary.”
Saveur

Awards

  • Gourmand Awards (E20 Honey) shortlist 2024 2024, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards