Brescia Honey and Wine Pairing Showcases Local Cuisine Innovation
Pairing honey with sweet dishes is common, but offering it alongside traditional cuisine dishes, possibly also pairing it with the right wine, is an ambitious and almost artistic attempt. This is what the APAB (Associazione Produttori Apistici Bresciani) tried to propose on Tuesday evening at the Locanda Santa Giulia in Padenghe, with surprising results.
Culinary proposals with honey
A Chestnut honey soup, prepared with savoy cabbage and rice and accompanied by a Convento Santa Lucia del 1995, could be considered an almost traditional first course, while a caramelized milk suckling pig served with a Pinot Nero Corteccio del 1996 could already evoke more surprise. Greater courage was needed to suggest crostini with lard and Bagos, dipped in acacia honey, paired with the San Martino della Battaglia 1996 DOC dessert.
Goals and involvement of producers
All of this aimed by the members of APAB was to demonstrate that honey, particularly Brescia honey in this case, can be consumed normally not only with desserts but also during regular lunch or dinner. In the province, there are more than a thousand honey producers, mostly hobbyists, who produce around 3,000 quintals of honey annually, including acacia, chestnut, dandelion, multifloral, rhododendron, linden, and honeydew honey. They are too few to be considered niche products, but enough for producers to voice their concerns, as they are currently doing, to initiate a serious discussion on expanding the market and strengthening the production system.
Participation and future projects
Among other guests at the evening was also the agriculture councilor of Provincia di Mantova, Mantelli, who, involved for months in promoting and enhancing Brescia products, seized the opportunity to reiterate the Department’s and the Province’s willingness to support all producers engaged in various sectors of Brescia agriculture. Present were, in addition to the Mayor of Padenghe, Giancarlo Allegri, the President of Brescia Chefs, and Head of the Desenzano Hospitality School, Walter Mesar, as well as ARTHOB representative Beppe Dattoli.
The hope expressed at the end of the evening is that this event can continue over time and become part of the annual eno-gastronomic events exclusively based on Brescia land products, with the possibility of public participation, as great supporters of local products.
