Honey, please!

Bulgarian honey is a big business for the small, family-run honey producers across the country. It's also extremely delicious, healthy and 100% organic and pesticide-free. Honey is a natural sweetener, antibiotic and immunity booster. The best places to buy honey are from the local producers in outdoor markets (there is at least one of these in every Bulgarian town). When I lived in Pleven I used to buy honey from the Iliev family beekeepers, and enjoyed learning about the health benefits of honey from one of the owners. I even brought home some samples of different types of honey to share with family and friends over the holidays.

Here in Sofia there are lots of markets where you can buy honey, and plenty of shops selling it along with other honey-related products (natural soaps, wax candles, tinctures, etc.). You can find pretty decent honey at the grocery store, but this removes the added experience of meeting the producer. A more interactive option just arrived this week: the "Week of Honey" exhibition. I happened to be passing by the Central Baths on my way home from work when I noticed the white tents and different vendors selling all kinds of honey products. There were lots of different types on offer: linden, lavender and herbal bouquet varieties to name but a few. I bought my honey this time from beekeepers in Razgrad, in the northeastern part of the country. I had the option of buying the clarified version or the raw, unfiltered kind that looks solid and milky rather than syrupy. I decided to go with the advice of the vendor and bought the crystallized raw one, and it is certainly yummy! The "Week of Honey" is also happening in 9 other places around Bulgaria, through this Saturday.

Sofia's "Week of Honey" Exhibition at the Central Baths (photo credits).