Anzer Honey

Anzer honey comes from one place: a high valley in the İkizdere district of Rize, at around two thousand metres, where the meadows carry several hundred flowering plant species, a number of them endemic to these mountains, and where beekeepers place hives for a short season in summer. The combination of that flora and the altitude produces a honey with a distinctive aroma and a considerable reputation, and it is among the most expensive honeys in the world by weight - a kilogram costs a serious sum, and the annual production is small enough that most of it is spoken for. It carries a geographical indication. The consequence is predictable: a great deal of honey is sold as Anzer that is not, including in Rize itself, so buying means the cooperative, a named producer with documentation, or not bothering. The valley in July and August, with the meadows in flower and the hives out, is worth the rough drive on its own.

What's there

• The flower meadows - hundreds of species in bloom at altitude.
• The hives - beekeepers' boxes placed for the short season.
• The valley - the single high basin the honey comes from.
• The cooperative - where the genuine product is sold.

When to go

July and August, when the meadows flower and the hives are out. The road is snowbound in winter. Honey is sold year-round but the valley is a summer visit.

Good to know

Genuine Anzer honey is extremely expensive and very widely counterfeited - buy from the cooperative or a documented producer, and treat cheap jars as fake. The mountain road is rough and slow.

Nearby

İkizdere is down the valley; the Fırtına valley and Çamlıhemşin are east.