They are tiny, harmless —because they don’t have a stinger— and have become stars in the world of haute cuisine. Each species, and there are 244 cataloged in Brazil, produces a different type of honey, whose complexity has enchanted chefs.
More liquid than honey from the bee Apis Melliferathe one of European origin and angrier temperament, the meles (or honeys, both plurals are correct) of native Brazilian bees are acidic, less sweet, and must be stored in the refrigerator, as they ferment quickly.
What’s delicious is rare. A hive of the most productive species does not manufacture more than two kilos per year, against the 25 kilos per year of hives of Apis Mellifera🇧🇷
The volume of honey, stored in oval wax and propolis structures that resemble microbarrels, is so small that extraction has to be done with a syringe.
This explains the hefty price: tiny pots, weighing just 40 grams (the equivalent of two tablespoons), cost from R$28, but can easily go over R$100 in the case of the rarest species.
Making these honeys better known to the general public and, who knows, lowering the price due to greater demand is one of the objectives of the book “67 Recipes With Honey from Native Bees”, which will be released on Saturday (17th), at the Mercado de Pinheiros, from 2 pm to 5 pm, at the Instituto Atá box in the Municipal Market of Pinheiros (R. Pedro Cristi, 89, Pinheiros).
The recipes, signed by 49 chefs, pastry chefs and mixologists, range from snacks to drinks and explore honeys from all Brazilian biomes.
One learns, for example, how to prepare fish with citrus by chef Manu Buffara from Paraná, elected the best female chef by the 50 Best Latin America 2022 —the dish uses manduri honey, a southern bee that only shows up in the states of São Paulo. Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul.
The beetroot tapioca by chef Rodrigo Oliveira, from Mocotó, is drizzled with honey from tubuna, a black bee that is found in several states, from north to south.
For the drink Rainha, based on cachaça, the bartender Jean Ponce, owner of Guarita Bar, chose honey from the tiny jataí, one of the easiest to find, as it is among the most produced throughout the country.
There’s also a recipe for breakfast. Chef Paola Carosella teaches how to prepare golden milk with turmeric, sweetened with borá bee honey, while Bela Gil chose jandaíra honey to supercharge her oat porridge with grated coconut and plantain.
Published by Instituto Atá, whose president is chef Alex Atala, the book is not for profit —the hardcover printed version will be sold for R$73.50, but anyone will be able to download it for free from the day of its launch on website www.institutoata.org.br.
One of the publication’s organizers and one of the country’s leading authorities on the subject, ecologist Jerônimo Villas-Bôas, 40, recognizes that increasing demand is a long-term project, as Brazilians eat very little honey, even though it is considered the most common.
“The per capita consumption is 170 grams per year, while the Germans consume three kilos per year”, he compares.
But he celebrates the fact that the native bees, little by little, are breaking the bubble of the most engaged scholars and chefs.
“I see that the world of bees grows exponentially, people interested in raising bees as pets. There are several WhatsApp and Facebook groups and many profiles of breeders on Instagram. What used to be a backwoodsman thing is becoming pop.”
A very different scenario from eight years ago, when the couple Eugênio and Márcia Basile founded Mbee Mel de Terroir and started to promote honey from native bees.
“When I arrived at restaurants as a salesperson, they didn’t welcome me. I started to go there as a customer. I ate and, only later, called the chef and presented the products. In addition to Alex Atala and Alberto Landgraf [atual chef do restaurante Oteque, no Rio de Janeiro]nobody had heard about it”, remembers Eugênio.
Today, Mbee’s pots pack the production of 65 meliponiculturists — as native bees belong to the scientific group Meliponini, this is the name given to the creators. They spread across 13 states and produce honey from 14 different species.
“The honeys we sell are photographs of the biomes that the bees take”, Eugênio poetizes.
The Amazonians, he adds, represent an even richer and less explored universe. Honey from the bee is already part of Mbee’s portfolio Duckeolla ghilianii, originally from the Amazon — known as the police, it protects other bees from predators and produces a highly acidic honey with citrus notes. But there is much more to discover in the region.
At the 1st Amazonian Meliponiculture Congress, held in September, in Manaus, Eugênio was presented with 34 honeys from Amazonian bees, three of which were not even cataloged.
“I tasted one that was sweet and also salty, crazy. I’m already used to bitter melons, but salty, I’ve never seen it before.”
The Instituto Atá book brings a list of 16 suppliers, in the five regions of Brazil. And you don’t even have to leave the city of São Paulo to get to know one of them.
In the extreme south of the city, on the outskirts of Parelheiros, the brothers Andrea and Carlos Barrichello, founders of Beeliving, keep a breeding with eight species on the family property.
Honey, as well as biocosmetics, soaps and candles based on honey and propolis, are sold through the e-commerce itself —packaged in a small bottle with a glass stopper, which looks like a perfume bottle, honey from tiúba, jandaíra or mandaçaia leaves for R$ 60, with 60 grams.
In addition to attending craft fairs, the Barrichellos schedule visits and experiences on the site for groups and companies. “It’s important that people get to know the native bees, because many people hear about bees and only think of the fear of the sting”, justifies Andrea.
As in other sectors involved in artisanal food production, Brazilian legislation does not encourage creators. Since 2017, native bee products have been recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), but not all states have created their technical regulations.
“Furthermore, we fall into that structural issue, of requirements aimed at the industrial model. Only those with high investment power are regularized”, squeaks Jerônimo. “With a larger scale production, I believe that the price could fall by half.”
Where to buy
Beeliving – www.beeliving.com.br
Mbee – www.lojambee.com.br
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
