Chinese tallow honey

Flavour and aroma

Aroma

light florals, fresh hay, faint wax

Flavour

mild floral, light caramel, waxy

Finish

Short and clean.

Intensity

Mild

Sweetness

Sweet

Bitterness

None

Acidity

Moderate

Colour, texture and crystallisation

Colour

Extra light amber (34-50 mm Pfund)toLight amber (50-85 mm Pfund)

Pale gold, clear and bright.

On setting: Sets to a pale opaque cream.

Texture

Runny; Soft set; Crystallised; Creamed

Crystallisation

Fast — granulates within weeks

Sets fairly quickly to a fine grain, which is why much of it is sold creamed.

Typical composition

Moisture

15–19% (typically 17%)

Fructose

35–40% (typically 37%)

Glucose

32–38% (typically 35%)

pH

3.6–4.4 (typically 4)

Electrical conductivity

0.2–0.5 mS/cm (typically 0.3 mS/cm)

These are typical ranges assembled across published work, not measurements of a specific honey.

What these mean: the sugars and the ratio · moisture · conductivity · how each is measured

Where it comes from

Floral source

Triadica sebifera, Chinese tallow or popcorn tree, in Gulf coastal prairie, bottomland and disturbed ground.

Origins

Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Origin pages

• Texas
• Southeastern United States

Resolved from both directions — origins this honey names, and origins that name it.

Harvest

April to June (northern hemisphere)

A late spring flow, and one of the largest crops of the Gulf coast year.

The bees

Worked intensively during the flow, which is heavy enough that Gulf coast beekeepers plan their season around it. The tree is prohibited in several states, which creates an awkward position for an industry that depends on it.

Usual processing

Raw, Coarsely strained, Spun (centrifugally extracted), Creamed (seeded and controlled-set)

Chinese tallow supports a substantial share of Louisiana and Texas honey production. Its prohibited status in several states means beekeepers depend commercially on a plant land managers are trying to remove.

What to do with it

An everyday honey with nothing to accommodate, and a mainstay of Gulf coast production.

At the tableSpreadingBakingGlazing and roasting

Pairings

• Biscuits and cornbreadClassic

  The regional use.

• Fresh cheeses

  Both mild.

History and traditional use

Chinese tallow was introduced to the American south in the eighteenth century — reputedly at Benjamin Franklin's suggestion — for candle and soap making from the waxy seed coating. It escaped comprehensively and now dominates large areas of coastal prairie.

Claims about this honey