Honey

Chinese honey flavored variously with blossoms and jujubes is increasingly available in Chinese markets, in crocks and bottles to delight the collector and with rich tastes that are intriguing and novel to honey lovers. Because quality and availability have thus far been inconsistent, I use local wild-flower honey for those Chinese dishes such as steamed pears where it is an ingredient. I prefer the “uncooked” variety, which seems to me to have a better flavor. I avoid stronger honeys such as buckwheat and more characteristic honeys like orange blossom, especially when the honey is to be paired with Chinese cassia blossoms and would mask or distort their delicate taste.