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PDO – Protected Designation of Origin
Description: Honey from São Miguel Island is a PDO honey – Protected Designation of Origin – which means that it is a product originating from this island of the Azores, whose quality or characteristics are exclusively due to the specific geographic environment, including natural and human factors, whose production phases take place in this delimited geographical area – São Miguel Island – Azores.
The honey from São Miguel Island exists in two variants: Multiflora honey and Incense honey, both PDO. It is an organic honey, free of pesticides and of any phytosanitary product, and it comes from completely pure environments.
The quality of São Miguel Island PDO honey results from the natural conditions and climate of the Azores and from its rich and diverse flora.
MULTIFLORA honey – is a honey made from wild flowers and from the flowers of trees that exist on the island, such as orange, banana, loquat, guava, passion fruit, eucalyptus, chestnut, clover, among others, which bloom at different times of the year.
Characteristics: MULTIFLORA Honey is the result of a mixture of nectars from various flower species. Color: light amber to dark amber, maximum 114 on the PFUND scale; rich and fragrant flavor, revealing all the diverse flora that gave rise to it.
INCENSE Honey – is a honey produced from a tree – Pittosporum undulatum Vent. – that grows naturally on the island, known as the incense tree perhaps because of the intoxicating scent of its flowers. This plant blooms between January and April. The incense tree was introduced to the Azores 150 years ago and was used in gardens and to make fences. It has escaped from man’s hand and found itself scattered throughout the Azores islands. Incense Honey has unique characteristics and has become a symbol of the Azores.
Characteristics: INCENSO Honey results from the nectar collected by bees from the flowers of the species Pittosporum undulatum (percentage of pollen greater than 30%); Color: very light to light amber, maximum 50 on the PFUND scale; delicate and fragrant smell; typical taste accentuated by the essential oils of the species from which it originates.
Production method: São Miguel Island PDO honey, in the Multiflora variety, is produced between April and September and its extraction begins in September. Incense honey is a variety of São Miguel Island PDO honey and it’s produced from January to April and extracted in April. The honey is extracted by centrifugation and is left to mature at a controlled temperature and is subsequently filtered to remove any impurities.
History: The honey from Azores is known for being a high-quality honey. This is one of the few places in the world where bees still don’t suffer from diseases so, for this same reason, all PDO honey is natural and pure, because is offered by Azorean nature. There is a long tradition of beekeeping on the Azores islands, which dates back to the 16th century. For all these reasons, the ecological function of beekeeping as well as its social role (allowing the development of a family economy) have led to the recognition of the Azorean honey as a product valuable for human health and for the sustainability of the planet.