Pink ones, blue ones, white ones, black
ones…
Big crystals, little crystals...
...and
varieties from Japan, Bolivia, Australia, Iceland, USA, France, Spain...and
more.
- Whichever salt seems intuitively right to you? Yes
- Salts that have the same provenance as the food? Yes
- Is there more to it? YES
To me, a good finishing salt adds another
layer of flavour to your food creating interest, depth and texture.
Salt is the most important, universally
used ingredient that adds dimension to your food for all of the five senses:
1.
TASTE
Not all salts are the same old salty flavour. The salinity, minerals and marine life present changes the flavour of the salt. Just like the quality of soil impacts the flavour of the grape. Is the salt harvested near a coral bed? Does the salt take in some of the minerals of the salt pond clay such as the French Sel Gris which gives it a fuller, more mineral flavour that is great on a roast?
Not all salts are the same old salty flavour. The salinity, minerals and marine life present changes the flavour of the salt. Just like the quality of soil impacts the flavour of the grape. Is the salt harvested near a coral bed? Does the salt take in some of the minerals of the salt pond clay such as the French Sel Gris which gives it a fuller, more mineral flavour that is great on a roast?
We are also tantalized by
flavours that are added to the salt after harvesting. Different cultures have their own ways to
produce and use the salt. Alaea
salt from Hawaii is mixed with alae clay, which is red (containing iron oxide)
and considered sacred. The salt is used
for traditional food dishes as a Kalua Pig and Poke as well as to cleanse and
purify homes, canoes and tools.
Other flavours include smoked woods, or other natural flavours infused into the salt such as wild porcini mushrooms, habanero chillies or vanilla bean.
2.
AROMA
We all know that
aroma heavily influences our sense of taste.
It is understood that salt helps to release aromas in your food, or
finishing with a salt that ass a sea freshness to the food or the aroma from a
natural flavour such as smoked salts, black truffle, roasted garlic or
rosemary.
3.
CRUNCH
Depending upon
the food you create, sometimes you might want a satisfying crack or crunch, say
on a pretzel, on top of soup or in a salad.
Flake salts, and larger grain salts will give you the crunch at the same
time as releasing a burst of salty flavour.
4.
FEEL
From fine grains
that melt on your food, to large pyramid like flakes that have size and
substance, the size of the crystal and whether it melts on your food or not,
impact the feel of the salt and food in your mouth.
5.
LOOK
Food
presentation is an important factor with which salt can add colour, and the crystal
structures can add visual interest to your food – red, white, black, pink, blue
, large or small. It could simply be Cyprus Black Lava salts with avocado on
toast, or a red Alaea salt dusted over pineapple (a great combination).
If you are still skeptical about the impact
of different salts on your food (and I am sure there are a few who will say “Prove
it”), my next blog will be on How to Conduct a Salt Tasting….and you can find
out for yourself.
No comments :
Post a Comment