Renowned across the world for its exceptional quality, aroma and taste, Greek honey has for centuries been the staple sweetener in Greek cuisine, and even now remains the most prestigious one, since, for Greeks, it adds flavour in ways that sugar could never achieve.Some of the best loved, traditional Greek sweets are based on honey: to discover them is to unfold the Greeks’ centuries-old love affair with honey.

The absolute honey classic is pasteli, the candy beloved by generations of Greeks. Pasteli is Greece’s original energy bar, and epitomises simplicity at its best: a flat, oblong bar made with honey and a variety of seeds and nuts, with the sesame/honey type being the most popular, while recipes including almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts have picked up in popularity.Its high nutritional value and its sweet taste have made it a children’s treat for generations and a companion for pupils.

If pasteli is the ultimate humble delight, the delicious semolina halva is probably the best example of Greek ingenuity with basic ingredients: olive oil, semolina, water and honey make this delicious sweet a Lent season classic and is best enjoyed with a rich Greek coffee.


Loukoumades, on the other hand, are a much richer desert, despite their equally simple ingredients: these fried doughnuts bathed in honey syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon and walnuts are a most popular sweet at home or in coffee shops, while they are often offered as an after-meal treat in tavernas and restaurants.

Diples are a more elegant version of the dough-and-honey family of sweets. They are crispy, curled dough sheets drizzled with honey, notoriously difficult to make and for this reason made to be presented on special occasions like weddings, engagements, christenings or name days.