This is the story of the sweet honey that has “broken” the hearts of Parisians for the past 40 years!
If one day you hear news that a building in Hanoi or Saigon has bees nesting, will you feel excited or scared?
But in the midst of magnificent Paris, people still keep many bees, letting them fly around on the domes of ancient buildings.
Jean Paucton is a skilled beekeeper of Paris. And his story is as strange and wondrous as this ancient city itself.
In the 80s, Jean was just starting to learn beekeeping. Every day, his main job is to look after the famous Opéra Garnier Theater.
Opera Garnier Theater.
Once, Jean was surprised to discover that bees can live in a closed hive for up to 48 hours. So he left the nest at the Garnier theater, intending to move it back to his home in the suburbs of Paris.
But a colleague of Jean’s suggested, why not put the hive on the dome of the theater, where they can fly around a bit without worrying about burning anyone.
The offer was too reasonable, so Jean followed suit. For the first time, there was a next time, Jean just like that “underground” beekeeping on the dome of the theater.
After that, he also sold “home-made” honey bees at the souvenir shop of the Garnier Theater, which is loved by tourists.
Jean Paucton – “father” of beekeeping in Paris.
By 2013, Jean Paucton retired but can confirm that: Paucton is the “father” of the dome beekeeping in Paris.
Learning from Jean Paucton, many people started beekeeping on the domes of many high-rise buildings. Bees began to fly at Orsay Museum, Military School, Notre Dame Cathedral, Grand Palais Museum, Institut de France and many other famous places. And for some reason, bees raised in these places give unusually delicious honey!
Everything happened quietly, quietly at first. But with such an ever-expanding scale, the buzz of ticks has surfaced all over Paris. After that, many locations introduced strict regulations, forcing beekeepers to pack up elsewhere.
Caring for beehives among towering domes.
Therefore, they have to knock on the doors of private buildings such as the Bocheron jewelry store or the restaurant La Tour d’Argent. Thanks to the nods of private owners, beekeeping once again developed massively throughout Paris, and it gave rise to… a new set of difficulties.
Some places do not have enough food for the bees, but the surrounding flora is also affected more or less. Moreover, due to “overwhelming hunger” , the bees flew down to “drink” juice from tourists or drink water from ponds and ornamental miniatures. Many locations require to “remove” the beehive, not to grow anything anymore!
However, for one reason, one can only reduce but not remove all the “public” beehives of Paris.
Despite many difficulties, beekeepers in Paris always prove their cool hands. The city’s honey is both delicious and the yield is higher than the neighboring regions.
The reason is because Paris has a slightly higher temperature than the suburbs. Moreover, the flora of the city is surprisingly diverse – from orange blossom, jasmine or exotic plants there is enough.
This is the reason why Paris honey has a characteristic taste, described as gum or “sweet like cherries”, just taste it once and you will remember it forever.
The flora in Paris is as rich as the bees.
But where do bees in the city get their sources of life? It is the flower arrangement on the porch, terrace or flowers in the park.
This feed source does not contain pesticides. Thus, the quality and reliability of the gourmet Parisian honey has been raised to a new level.
The familiar boxes of Paris but inside there are swarms of bees.
For decades, honey from a unique souvenir has penetrated into Parisian culture, becoming a phenomenon associated with the “connoisseur standard” of the city’s people.
In 2016, Michelin-starred chef Jérôme Banctel began using local honey to create signature dishes for the luxury hotel La Réserve.
Remember to visit the honey shop if you have the opportunity to come to Paris.
Mr. Audric de Campeau – a connoisseur of Paris beekeepers, said: “Parisians are increasingly interested in local specialties. And Paris honey is not a marketing gimmick, it is really delicious. I’m proud to have produced this sweet honey.”