Konkan Fruit Fest begins, to feature 30 honey varieties

Panaji: Honey lovers are in for a treat as the Konkan Fruit Fest, which begins on Friday, will showcase 30 unique honey varieties. It will be held till Sunday at Rosary School grounds, Navelim, from 10am to 8pm.
Karvi flower honey is light and mildly flavoured and is prized for its subtlety. Cashew flower honey offers a unique twist with hints of cashew in it. Perhaps the most unusual flavour is soap nut (reetha) honey, which is darker and has a very mild, almost earthy flavour.
“It’s not something you’ll find easily elsewhere,” said Goa Botanical Society member, Miguel Braganca. “Even honey made from nectar of jamun flowers has a sharp taste,” he said.
“Over the past decade, there has been a great interest in beekeeping in Goa, producing about 1000kg of honey annually. Each variant differs based on the local flowers and bee species. The event will highlight this incredible diversity in taste, texture, and appearance of honey produced across Goa,” Braganca told TOI.
He said the taste and quality of honey depend on the flowers available to bees. From light and mild to dark and richly flavoured, each honey reflects its unique botanical origin. Visitors can sample and buy a wide range of honey and learn the science and craft of beekeeping.
“Beekeepers and wild honey collectors will also be judged in a ‘best honey competition’ at the festival,” he said.
Artisanal honey producers from Goa and nearby states will compete and be evaluated on the clarity, density, and taste of the honey.