Honey is usually described as a sweet food substance. Corbezzolo honey, however, is surprisingly bitter, with notes of leather, liquorice and smoke. Born in the mountains of the Italian island of Sardinia, this extremely rare honey has a history that dates back more than 2,000 years.

       Corbezzolo honey is obtained from the flowering of the broadleaf corbezzolo shrub, known in English as the strawberry tree for its reddish-orange, strawberry-sized fruits. Despite the bitterness, it is often added to coffee to enhance the drink’s bitter aromas. The special taste also makes the honey pair perfectly with seadas, a typical Sardinian dessert, and pecorino sardo, a sweet sheep’s milk cheese. What makes the bitter honey even more special is that it is actually packed with nutrients. Rich in vitamins and minerals, it has been prized by many generations in Sardinia, known for the notably long lifespans of its inhabitants, many of whom live to more than 100 years old. It has been used in traditional medicine to suppress coughing and bring on sleep. What’s more, a 2019 study found that the honey might reduce growth of cancer cells.

      The corbezzolo’s fruits ripen slowly and the flowers’ petals unfold slowly, a delicate process that a heavy rain can easily bring to a halt. And because the flowering takes place in late autumn when the weather can be cold, rainy and windy, the bees sometimes have to struggle to make it out of their hives to collect that precious nectar. The flowers produce about half as much nectar as other flowers, so the bees have to work extra hard to collect enough. These factors make corbezzolo honey so precious that it’s hard to find outside Sardinia.