Hazelnuts in Chestnut Honey

These whole hazelnuts are packed in chestnut honey - Miel de Castaña - which is gathered from the bees that pollinate the flowers of chestnut trees growing in the high mountain and wooded regions of the Principality of Asturias, along the northern coast of Spain.

Bee keepers, with great personal skill and attentiveness, harvest the chestnut (castaña) honey from honeycombs situated near natural parks in the Reserva of the Biosphere.

The area is one of the most historic and remote sections of Spain. It is steeped in tradition and legend concerning Santiago, the patron saint of Spain. In the 8th C the mountain people of Asturias finally stopped the advance of the Moorish armies in the in this very area where the chestnut honey is gathered.

Pilgrims walk through these high mountains and wooded areas on their way to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela, and undoubtedly have enjoyed this honey since medieval times.