Discover watermelon honey – a traditional Romanian syrup made by reducing fresh watermelon juice into a thick syrup that’s perfect for drizzling on just about anything.
When summer brings an abundance of ripe, juicy melons, some traditions offer creative ways to capture their sweetness long after the season ends. In Romania, one such tradition is miere de pepene verde – watermelon honey. Despite the name, it isn’t bee-made honey, or honey-infused at all. Rather, it’s a concentrated syrup that is created by patiently reducing watermelon juice until it thickens into a glossy, dark syrup.
This is not a quick recipe. It requires approximately 30 minutes to prep the watermelon and two hours to simmer it down into a delightful syrup, but if you’re looking for summer melon recipes that are a little different, this one’s worth trying.
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Watermelon Honey: A Taste of Summer Preserved
My husband is part Romanian. When the family gathers for a reunion, he often asks me to prepare a traditional Romanian food or two for everyone to enjoy. In the past, we made a traditional Romanian bread his family calls Colac. It’s a delicious bread with a sweet walnut swirl throughout. You can find the recipe here on the blog if you’d like to try it sometime.
Being a foodie, I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to learn something new. Last year, I spent some time learning about a couple different ways Romanians will serve or preserve watermelon. I was absolutely fascinated by the idea that you could cook down an entire watermelon into a cup or two of syrup.
I was even more fascinated by the flavor and texture of the finished product. Watermelon honey is sweet, but the flavor deepens – reminding me a little of butternut squash or a very fruity BBQ sauce. I like it best on a cracker with a little goat cheese, but it’s also lovely on toast, as the base for a BBQ chicken pizza, or just about anything else you can think to drizzle it on.
The Magic of Watermelon
Whenever I make this recipe, I imagine a magician on a stage telling his audience to watch carefully as he fits this entire watermelon into a little, 1-cup jar. Impossible? Not at all. What makes this recipe so magical is the transformation that takes place during the simmering process.
It’s no wonder that watermelon is known as being one of the most hydrating fruits you can find. A fresh melon is approximately 90 – 92% water and 6-9% natural sugars (glucose, fructose, and sucrose). This high water content means that it takes s surprising amount of fruit to make a single jar of syrup. What remains after the simmering process is an intensely flavored, concentrated reminder of one of summer’s favorite foods.
Sweet Connections
Just as nearly every culture has its flat breads, many have their fruit molasses recipes such as grape molasses, date syrup, pomegranate molasses, and this traditional Romanian food – watermelon honey.
Watermelon honey belongs to a family of fruit syrups that have been cherished for centuries across Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Just as grape molasses in Turkey, pomegranate molasses in Lebanon, or date syrup in North Africa were used to sweeten and enrich foods before refined sugar was widely available, Romanians were making this lovely syrup from watermelons.
How to Make this Syrup
Making this watermelon honey recipe is easy, although it does require some time. The fruit is pureed, strained multiple times (three times for this recipe), and then simmered low and slow until it transforms into a syrup as thick and sweet as honey. Don’t be tempted to rush the process. The sugars can quickly burn at the end of the simmer cycle (yes, I did this once during development), so be patient.
In this recipe, I like to add a pinch of salt to wake up the flavor and a little lemon juice at the very end to brighten up this sweet condiment.
It’s also good when finished with lime juice and a sprinkle of Tajin – not a traditional finish to this syrup, but still a tasty twist.
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Easy 3 Ingredient Romanian Watermelon Honey
Course: StartersCuisine: RomanianDifficulty: Easy1
cup30
minutes2
hoursA traditional Romanian syrup made by reducing fresh watermelon juice into a thick syrup that’s perfect for drizzling on just about anything.
Ingredients
8 cups pureed watermelon juice, strained three times
A pinch of salt (approx. 1/16 tsp)
1 – 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice or lime juice to taste
Directions
- Cut up the watermelon and puree in a blender. Measure out 8 cups of watermelon juice. Save the rest of the watermelon for another use.
- Pour the pureed watermelon juice through a strainer three times. Do not press the juice through the strainer as the pulp makes the finished fruit molasses grainy. It’s important to strain three times as this will ensure a pulp-free liquid and smoother finish. The strained pulp can be eaten or used for another purpose.
- Pour the strained juice into a large stockpot. Add a pinch of salt and bring the juice to the boil over medium heat.
- Reduce and let simmer for 90 minutes. Strain off any foam that floats to the surface occasionally. The mixture will be reduced considerably by the 90-minute mark.
- For the last 30 minutes, stir frequently – every few minutes – to ensure the mixture does not stick and burn. For the very last 10 minutes, stir constantly.
- The watermelon honey is ready when you can run a spatula across the bottom of the saucepan and a line briefly remains before closing back up. Remove the watermelon honey from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- Transfer the fruit molasses to a jar and allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator for storage.
- Watermelon honey will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
- Serve with goat cheese and crackers, drizzle over yogurt, or use as a dipping sauce. It makes a great BBQ sauce substitute, as well.
