Croatia has some of its food products protected at both a national and European level, their status designated by their unique place of origin. Slavonia honey (Slavonski med) is one of them.
The flatlands of the Pannonian basin are the Croatian pantry. Vast tracts of agricultural land with incredibly fertile soil offer up almost every fruit, vegetable, herb and nut you can find in the country. Cultivated at an eco-friendly industrial scale, on a small scale in many family gardens and at every level in-between, the produce of Slavonia finds its way onto restaurant tables across Croatia and further still.
© Ivo Biočina
Aside from the farmed land, Slavonia contains large areas of untouched forest, some wetlands and long stretches which run alongside major rivers like the Drava which cannot be used for cultivation. Here, wild boar, deer and other animals roam freely. Similarly, the region's uncultivated meadows allow wildflowers and herbs to flourish alongside the large fields of sunflowers and rapeseed which are grown here. All of this flora imparts flavour into the honey produced in Slavonia and neighbouring Baranja, where beekeeping is a long-held tradition.
There are more than 400 registered beekeepers in Slavonia and Baranja today, producing more than 200 tonnes of delicious honey each year. The flavour of Slavonian honey can vary from village to village and from month to month, depending on what's grown locally and which plants are in season.
Click here to find out what European recognition does for Croatian produce and see all of Croatia's best delicacies which are protected