 | Chiuri HoneyPyuthan District, Sisne Himalayan RegionNepal
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Honey is essential for people in the Himalayan region of Nepal, where sugar and medicinal resources are scarce. Local traditional healers regard honey as a gift from the creator. This chiuri honey was collected from bees that fed exclusively on the nectar and pollen of the chiuri tree (commonly known as butter tree), which is native to Nepalese mountain areas. It has a fine granulation, rich taste and sweet aroma.
Tradition and consumption
Chiuri honey is easy to digest and is a great source of energy. Locals consider it to be especially nutritious and medicinal compared to other honeys, thanks to its being so pure and raw. It is used as an inexpensive home remedy for infections, allergies, arthritis, asthma and more. It is also used to prepare traditional Nepali dishes, such as laddu and roti, and is commonly used with rice flour in the preparation of bread as a traditional gift during special occasions and weddings.
Producers and processing
Honey collecting has long been an important source of livelihoods for the peoples of Nepal’s Pyuthan district. Chiuri honey is collected by the Airawati Multipurpose Small Farmers Cooperative Ltd. Its 165 producers – 95 of whom women – are members of the Indigenous Magar community. During the flowering season, the producers move their beehives from chiuri tree to chiuri tree. Later, they extract the honey by hand using traditional methods. No fertilizers or pesticides are used on the trees.
Territory
This product comes from the Pyuthan district in midwestern Nepal, where honey producers operate between 1 000 and 1 800 metres. Chiuri trees here both grown among a diversity of plant species as well as occur naturally in community forests. Locals consider this honey to be especially pure because the bees that produce it feed only on Chiuri flowers from their community forest, where there are no other flowers present during the tree’s blooming period.
Further information
