PGI for Maltese wild thyme honey : achievable, or forever a dream?

Abstract

Beekeeping and honey production are longstanding traditions in Malta, with their ancient origins lying deep in the mists of time – and according to some, even being embedded within the name of the archipelago itself, with ‘Malta’s’ etymological origins being traced back in these accounts to the Latinisation of the Greek word for ‘honey’, ‘meli’ (Jansen, 2018, p. 52). Rooted in traditional everyday practices and customs, Malta’s association with honey is bound up with the country’s identity.