A beekeeping friend asked me to visit a couple of honey stores (La
Maison du Miel and Les Ruchers du Roy) in Paris recently, opening the doors to a subculture of beekeeping—apiculture—that I had no
idea existed. Oh, I had tasted my share of artisanal, organic honeys and become fascinated with the whole
idea of apitherapy (healing with products from the honeybee hive), but to find
a beekeeping school deep within the green confines of the Luxembourg gardens was indeed an eye-opener.
The buzz was on, and soon I found that bees are kept everywhere in Paris—on the roof of
Garnier Opera, for example, where Jean Pauton has been tending
hives for 20 years. He sells the honey in tiny jars at the store in the Opera
and also at Fauchon. (Look for
Miel recolte sure les toits de l'Opera de
Paris by Jean Pauton.) I found the honey to be, well, honey colored, but
others call it red and swear that the redness comes from the grenadine that the
bees sip from the glasses of the clients at nearby Cafe de la Paix. Hives are
also found in the Tuileries, in the gardens of the Palais Royal, and in
numerous squares around town. Flavors vary according to which trees, like
chestnut and acacia, flourish near the hives. Even
Hotel Eiffel Park, a Best
Western, boasts of hives on its roof. So far, no one has been stung, and guests
can choose to spread the rooftop honey on their breakfast croissants.
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