'Miele Amaro' is the title of one of the most interesting books about
Sardinia. The author, Salvatore Cambuso (1895-1962), was a distinguished
journalist and a keen observer of Sardinian life and everyday Sardinian culture.
'Miele Amaro' shows Sardinia as it really is, bitter and sweet, colourful and
rich in contrasts, a reflection of a unique landscape made up of gentle hills
and rugged mountains, emerald green seas and brilliant white beaches.
The 'corbezzolo', or Strawberry Tree, one of the most attractive of
Mediterranean macchia plants, grows in these surroundings. The bees collect the
so-called 'miele amaro', a honey with a very special character prized worldwide
for its unique taste, from its flowers which resemble lilies of the valley.
Its extraordinary wealth of flowering plants has made Sardinia an island
famed for honey. It would be possible to propose going on a trip on the honey
trail, a very special type of honeymoon, so to speak. By studying the beehives,
one could check out the variety of the Sardinian landscape and then, as has long
been the case with wine and olive oil, visit the producers – mainly go-ahead
family businesses – to taste the different types of honey (perhaps accompanied
by one of the exquisite Sardinian cheeses): the light-coloured
'Millefiori'-honey, for example, gleaming gold and made from thistle and citrus
fruit flowers; or the popular Eucalyptus honey, without forgetting Lavender
honey, made from spring flowers and especially highly-prized for its powers of
healing. Generally, honey from the macchia in springtime is especially rich in
mineral salts and nutrients and the intense flavour of a dark autumn honey is
thanks to the nectar of the Carob tree … the variety of different types of
Sardinian honey can only be briefly touched on here. So, a trip to Sardinia on
the honey trail could be worth it and not just for honeymooners.
