I met Licu Manias last month at the Salone del Gusto where Slow Food awarded his Asphodel Honey with a very prestigious recognition and where his book, the Dictionary of Honey, was officially presented. Licu (Luigi, in Italian) is the “honey authority”, revered as such by all his peers; he and his bees live and work in rugged and wind swept hills of pristine Sardegna. He is obsessed about sustainability, traditions and the environment: he makes his honey in a construction of 40,000 bricks made of mud, as his ancestors would have. How crazy is that? Before you come to any conclusion, you should try the honey and decide for yourself.
A while ago Antonio, Anne and I went to see Sonetaula, a mesmerizing Sardinian independent movie. It is spoken in the local dialect with subtitles in Italian. It is a long movie – 3 hours of pure admiration for the people, the landscape and the island’s culture; its pace is very very slow. Licu defies these stereotypes: he is a young, energetic, lovely man who, not only speaks Italian, he speaks great English. If anything, he is too quick. Grazie, Licu for your wonderful introduction:
Dear Bice, a very fine report to sardinian honey!!!!
Grazie. Did you read the Honey Cake recipe? Do you want it for your next book of recipes?
Grazie e buon lavoro,
B.
It is good honey but not the best
11216 honey from Brooklyn is much better
It’s made from the urban folliage of NYC and unlike rural honey has no pesticides
This guy filters his honey through a course filter
It leaves all the pollen propolis and wax buts in the honey
The flavor is amazing and unique
Dear Sam, I am not sure how to take your comment. Are you joking? Sorry, I have to ask, before I answer. Perhaps I did not understand the humor in your comment!
Grazie mille!!!
What is the rural honey that pesticides? Perhaps the one produced in the USA! I produce organic honey in a manner in a pristine environment. Explain to me who would trust a honey produced in a metropolis. Although New York in 2012 has touched the lowest level of air pollution for thirteen years now has always been a city with a huge traffic. But Sam Ryan understands very little of honey and other hive products. Pollen is microscopic. Only with an ultra filtration could not go into the honey. Propolis is used by bees to close the openings, but it is mixed with honey unless you put it on purpose. Well honey extraction of the imaginary boy of 11216 Brooklyn seems to me very confused and questionable from the point of view of hygiene.
Licu, very well said. With issues like these I always come back to Michael Pollan’s (no bee pun intended) discussion of local vs. imported. We cannot blindly accept that local is always better, from a quality/health point of view and also from a cultural integrity point of view. Pollan writes, “even the most fervent eat-local types say it’s ok for a “foodshed” … to trade for goods it can’t produce locally.” Simply, you cannot produce pure honey that is based on culturally rich traditions in a metropolis… for honey like that you have to look to the hills of Sardegna.
Thank you Danielle. Very well said.