Daghmous Honey
Daghmous grows where almost nothing else does: southern Morocco, the foothills of the Anti-Atlas, the dry land that borders the Sahara. It is a spiny euphorbia, a plant that looks like a cactus without being one. Its flowers give a dark, dense honey, with a warmth at the back of the throat that nobody forgets after the first spoonful.
Our beekeepers harvest it by hand, from hives set far from any crops. Expect 150 dirhams for the 500 g jar and 290 dirhams per kilo, delivered anywhere in Morocco.
Daghmous, euphorbia, cactus: three words, two honeys
People mix these up constantly, and it costs them at the till. Daghmous is a spiny euphorbia, Euphorbia echinus. Many call it cactus honey because the plant looks the part, with its fleshy stems and tight spines. It belongs to no cactus family.
Zqqoum comes from a different euphorbia, Euphorbia resinifera. It gives a close cousin of a honey, a little less rare, which we sell at 130 dirhams for 500 g while daghmous starts at 150. The gap comes down to where the bees forage: echinus flowers on drier ground that is harder to reach, and the hives come back lighter.
If someone offers you daghmous at the price of a flower honey, it is not daghmous.
What you taste
The colour runs to dark amber, close to brown. The texture is thick and pours slowly. The taste hits straight away, with a light bitterness and an earthy note, then comes that warmth deep in the throat, sometimes a tingle, lasting a few seconds. It catches you out the first time. It belongs to the honey and signals neither a fault nor fermentation.
On the numbers, count 320 kcal per 100 g, of which 78 g of sugars. This is honey, not a light food: a teaspoon does the job.
The price, and what moves it
Our two sizes: 150 dirhams for 500 g, 290 dirhams per kilo. You pay on delivery or by bank transfer, whichever suits you.
The price of daghmous follows the rain. A dry year cuts the flowering, hives produce less and the whole market climbs. Buying just after the harvest stays the best moment, for freshness as much as for price.
How to take it
A teaspoon in the morning on an empty stomach, or stirred into a warm infusion. Avoid boiling water: above forty degrees, the enzymes in honey break down. Many people pair it with ginger and lemon once the cold sets in.
Keep the jar closed, away from light and heat. Honey keeps for years without spoiling, and if it hardens or crystallises it stays perfectly good.
Never give honey to a child under twelve months, whatever its quality. If you are diabetic, talk to your doctor before taking it regularly: honey is still sugar.
To place that price against the rest of the range, see our honey price list for Morocco.