Turkish Food – Fethiye Honey

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Fethiye is a famous beekeeping and honey producing area and the owners of the boxes leave them in rows, scattered around the pine forests and sometimes along footpaths.

Anyone who knows Fethiye will recognise these things.

And it’s worth noting that if you do decide to go for a little hike in the forests and hills of the Fethiye area, it is likely you are going to come across these.

We call them bee boxes.

These particular hives were along a footpath along the first stretch of the Lycian Way.

Obviously, when you’re out trekking it’s wise not to be too curious.

If you can help it, you don’t really want to be wandering up to the boxes for a nosey inside.

On the plus side, the term ‘Busy Bee’ befits the honey bees of Fethiye.

They don’t stray too far from their boxes and they occupy themselves by pollinating the flora and fauna of the area and by making pine honey (çam balı) and flower honey (çiçek balı).

If you don’t bother them, they’re not interested in you.

I’m far from brave when it comes to insects but I’ve learned to quite appreciate the Fethiye honey bee.

And all that hard work from the little busy bees means Fethiye has a number of these shops, all selling flower honey and pine honey.

You can buy huge tins of the stuff!

So, the minor inconvenience of putting a bit of a spurt on as you quickly walk past the bee boxes, telling yourself to be brave, is completely cancelled out once you get some of this gorgeous, clear honey in your cupboard.

We’re never without it.

It’s especially tasty with fruit like yoghurt and nectarines. And, of course, it’s a must for your Turkish breakfast table.

We also like to add it to some salad dressings for a bit of sweetness such as our pea and feta salad.

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