The honey cooking

The Montsec

The province of Lleida is four, the main producer of honey de Catalunya. Accordingly Montsec and create an incomparable environment for the production of honey.

In this territory dominated plantations such as rosemary, thyme, lavender and other flowers more than possible that the bees collect their nectar and transform it into this product so sweet. In turn, the vegetation diversity allows for honey of contrasting colors and different flavors.

This product has been very important in the generations of people who have lived in this territory. The predominance of this ingredient in Montsec has meant that honey is the base and one of the key components in their kitchens, benefits both posing against diseases, such as the energy provided and excellent sweet flavor.

So, today, are still preserved traditional dishes that have persisted over the years, such as fried eggs and cod with honey, where this ingredient is the essence and personality of the dishes.

The production of honey

The route starts in the village of Os de Balaguer for major honey producers Montsec.

In this town is one of the most traditional companies in the packaging and marketing of honey, Mel Alemany. Sometimes innovate and combine this ingredient with others in the field, such as honey with walnuts and almonds.

Furthermore, using the special benefit of honey produced other products such as candy and nougat.

In the same town is the Monastery of the hazelnuts is characterized as a former abbey that houses a restaurant, accommodation and other services. It is at the top of a small peak surrounded by nature.

In 1910 when the Marist Brothers came to the Monastery of hazelnuts with eight moths were found in a cabin bee. They took advantage of the fact and did produce bees that had long been in that space. So, in 1926 already had 54 colonies, that allowed get up to 50 kg of honey a year.

Currently, in this monastery you can buy honey's brother Isidore and cuisine in its restaurant dishes made ??with this ingredient.

First ingredient, honey

Hazelnuts Monastery is the only place in the area where you can taste cooked and combined with honey.

Many parts of the environment, as Fontdepou , the Barony of Sant Oïsme , Fontllonga and Camarasa , why continue the route, have various restaurants and country houses that offer visitors the chance to try some dishes characterized by sweetness and smoothness honey Honey Coca Montsec, rack of lamb with honey, liqueur and honey ice cream, honey or herring sausage with grapes and honey, among others. Already you will make your mouth water, right?

Also, in the Cal Picarol hostel, located next to the lake of Camarasa , you can try the typical honey fried eggs and bacon.

Add that many of these restaurants, for working a kitchen craft with natural and proximity, are part of the Slow Food Terres de Lleida.

Slow Food

Slow food, translated from English as slow food is a movement born in Italy in 1986 with the intention to endure the cuisine based on products linked to an ecoregion and preserve their seeds through the promotion of local production and weighed against the extent of Fast Food - fast food.

Thus, this movement is to the proximity vertebradotes axes in the production and development of biodiversity.

In this line, the Slow Food Terres de Lleida hosts restaurateurs, farmers and producers to achieve these objectives and to balance the food of this region and their personality and quality of life.

Currently, the Slow Food movement has more than 850 associations are extended by 132 countries.

The kitchen of honey

The kitchen of honey is, in some ways, the philosophy of slow food movement. This tourism brand was created with the purpose of promoting gastronomic values ??Montsec Territory through the traditional product of this earth, honey.

A group of restaurateurs in the area created the honey kitchen offering dishes made ??with this ingredient, combined modernizing traditional dishes, too, with wines with Designation of Origin Costers del Segre.

The restorers, besides the aforementioned sites, have their premises located at Artesa de Segre, Alòs de Balaguer, Guardia de Noguera, the Montsec Clua, Barony of Rialb, Ponts, Barcedana Sant Marti and Sant Llorenç de Montgai .