Brittany; p<strong>in</strong>kish-grey Kala Namak from India; and Hawaiian saltst<strong>in</strong>ted red (us<strong>in</strong>g volcanic clay) or black (charcoal). Like w<strong>in</strong>e, salt isaffected by terroir.There are exotic salts flavoured with seaweed, lemon, vanilla,lavender, mixed spices, saffron, bamboo, coconut and lime; homelysalts smoked over alderwood, oak or cherrywood; and an Italian saltdyed black with cuttlefish <strong>in</strong>k. One of the rarest is Oshima IslandBlue Label from Japan, at one time available ‘only to Japanesemembers of the exclusive Salt Road Club’, but now on sale at threespecialist stores <strong>in</strong> the US, cost<strong>in</strong>g $85 for a 340g jar.Order foie gras at the French Laundry andyou will be offered five types of salt: a fleur desel, two red clay salts, a rare sea salt from thePhilipp<strong>in</strong>es and a Jurassic salt from Montana,m<strong>in</strong>ed from a rock seam that may be 200million years old. Restaurants now haveselmeliers (waiters well versed <strong>in</strong> pair<strong>in</strong>g saltwith food), a term co<strong>in</strong>ed by Mark Bitterman,whose exquisite boutiques, called TheMeadow, <strong>in</strong> New York and Portland, Oregon,sell the widest range of gourmet salts <strong>in</strong> theworld, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Oshima Island Blue Label (Corti Brothers<strong>in</strong> Sacramento, California, is the other stockist).The Virg<strong>in</strong>ia-based SaltInstitute estimates thatthere are 14,000 knownuses for salt, the latestbe<strong>in</strong>g data storageA p<strong>in</strong>ch of saltThe cul<strong>in</strong>ary uses of salt are chang<strong>in</strong>g, too. Black lava salt fromHawaii is perfect ‘spr<strong>in</strong>kled on a mango salad’, accord<strong>in</strong>g to oneBritish supplier (www.gourmetsalt.co.uk), while apricot-colouredsalt from the Murray river, Australia, works well with ‘fresh summerfruits and moist cheeses’. Research has shown that salt doesn’t justmake th<strong>in</strong>gs saltier, but br<strong>in</strong>gs out the flavour of foods (savoury orsweet), while mask<strong>in</strong>g unwanted bitterness. Salt with chocolate isa w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g comb<strong>in</strong>ation, as President Obama knows. His favouritechocolates, given to guests at the White House, are topped withwhite flakes of Halen Môn sea salt from Anglesey <strong>in</strong> Wales.Five years ago, an eons-old technique – salt-bak<strong>in</strong>g – becamethe foodie fad of the moment, revived by the likes of Jamie Oliver<strong>in</strong> London and Michael Cimarusti at the two-Michel<strong>in</strong>-starredProvidence <strong>in</strong> Los Angeles. After a traditional Italian wedd<strong>in</strong>g, itis customary to br<strong>in</strong>g to the table a whole fish encased <strong>in</strong> a bakedsalt crust, which the bride and groom then tap with wooden malletsbefore sweep<strong>in</strong>g the salt aside. Inside its capsule, the fish reta<strong>in</strong>sits moisture and flavour and, oddly, tastes sweet rather than salty.Oliver mixes 1.4kg of lemon sea salt with water, egg whites andseason<strong>in</strong>g, then uses the paste to cover a black bream and a sea bass.Baked for 40 m<strong>in</strong>utes, the flesh falls off the bone and is moist anddelicate. Cimarusti serves Santa Barbara spot prawns salt-roastedwith rosemary, lemon and virg<strong>in</strong> olive oil – a dish so delicious that,when Russ Parsons of the Los Angeles Times tasted it, the effect waslife-chang<strong>in</strong>g. ‘I took one bite and had to close my eyes,’ he wrote.‘Many dishes are good; some are excellent. A very few are trulyprofound, and this was one of them. It had the deepest, puresttaste of shellfish I’ve ever experienced, like some distilled essence.’In 2001, it was journalist Jeffrey Ste<strong>in</strong>garten, the food critic atAmerican Vogue, who ignited the trend for gourmet salt with hisessay ‘Salt Chic’. In it, he went <strong>in</strong> search of Oshima Island Blue Labeland other rarities, ultimately challeng<strong>in</strong>g experts to a bl<strong>in</strong>d tast<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong> Sicily. They <strong>in</strong>cluded British chef Heston Blumenthal and theAmerican food science writer Harold McGee, yet only Ste<strong>in</strong>gartenhad a palate ref<strong>in</strong>ed enough to tell one salt from another.Mark Bitterman knows why. ‘Nobody eats salt by itself,’ he says.‘What matters is the <strong>in</strong>teraction of the salt and the food.’ Coarse,m<strong>in</strong>erally sel gris is best for f<strong>in</strong>ish<strong>in</strong>g red meats (a f<strong>in</strong>er salt woulddissolve too quickly <strong>in</strong> the juices) or rubb<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to the cavity of achicken before roast<strong>in</strong>g. Moist, creamy fleur de sel, with its delicate,clean flavour, is the ideal partner for mild dishes such as fish,steamed vegetables or caramels. ‘Snappy,bright flake salts are perfect with freshvegetables and green salads,’ Bitterman says,‘or any dish where you want sparks of saltto contrast vibrantly with the food.’ Thehuge black, pyramid-shaped flakes ofBlack Diamond, from Cyprus, add drama.Surpris<strong>in</strong>gly, even with all this spr<strong>in</strong>kl<strong>in</strong>gand f<strong>in</strong>ish<strong>in</strong>g, food accounts for only 4% ofsalt consumption. Last year <strong>in</strong> the UnitedStates, 40% of all salt harvested was usedby the chemical <strong>in</strong>dustry, while 38% was used for highway de-ic<strong>in</strong>g.The Virg<strong>in</strong>ia-based Salt Institute estimates that there are 14,000known uses for salt, the latest be<strong>in</strong>g data storage. Inside the harddrive of a computer is a sp<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g magnetic platter covered <strong>in</strong>nanoscopic gra<strong>in</strong>s that store <strong>in</strong>formation. Last year, researchersfound that add<strong>in</strong>g a salt solution dur<strong>in</strong>g manufacture shr<strong>in</strong>ks thenanostructures and significantly <strong>in</strong>creases memory.Br<strong>in</strong>g out the flavourFor the salt <strong>in</strong>dustry, more good news came with the announcementthat Campbell’s had reversed its policy of reduc<strong>in</strong>g salt levels <strong>in</strong> itsSelect Harvest soups, after compla<strong>in</strong>ts about the lack of taste. Publichealth officials were furious. For years, they have warned us aboutthe dangers of eat<strong>in</strong>g too much salt, which raises blood pressure and<strong>in</strong>creases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Last spr<strong>in</strong>g, a locallegislator proposed that the use of salt be banned <strong>in</strong> New Yorkrestaurants, provok<strong>in</strong>g an outcry from chefs.‘Salt is what makes food taste good,’ argued Anthony Bourda<strong>in</strong>,author of Kitchen Confidential. ‘Traditional, <strong>in</strong>telligent and skilleduse of salt has become confused <strong>in</strong> the m<strong>in</strong>ds of nanny-state nitwitswith sneak<strong>in</strong>g salt <strong>in</strong>to processed convenience foods. Noth<strong>in</strong>gencapsulates the mission of the foodideologues better than this<strong>in</strong>trusion: they desire aworld without flavour.’As with manypleasures, the secret ismoderation. ‘My messageto people is eat less salt,but better salt,’ says DavidLea-Wilson of the AngleseySea Salt Company, whichsupplies Heston Blumenthal’sthree-Michel<strong>in</strong>-starred restaurant,The Fat Duck. Bitterman urges m<strong>in</strong>dfulness.32 volume thirteen Summit
global gourmetWorkers carry baskets of salt atthe Hon Khoi salt factory <strong>in</strong> Vietnam.Far left: Course salt <strong>in</strong> a gr<strong>in</strong>der.Left: Salted stockfishChefs worth their saltDelia Smith English cook andTV presenterFavourite Maldon sea salt (England)Use Coarsely crushed over jacketpotatoes or anyth<strong>in</strong>g fried. ‘A fat,chunky chip wrapped <strong>in</strong> a rocket leaf,dipped <strong>in</strong> mayonnaise, then sea salt,is a wickedly brilliant comb<strong>in</strong>ation!’Wolfgang PuckRenowned Austrianchef with more than 100 restaurantsFavourite Fleur de sel(Guérande, France)Use Bone-<strong>in</strong> New York strip steak.‘The salt has a dist<strong>in</strong>ctive flavour thataccents grilled meat perfectly.’Heston Blumenthal Englishmaster of molecular gastronomyFavourite Halen Môn sea salt (Wales)Use Desserts. ‘In chocolate andcrumble topp<strong>in</strong>gs, it helps br<strong>in</strong>gout sweetness.’Ala<strong>in</strong> Ducasse Recipient of 19Michel<strong>in</strong> starsFavourite Fleur de sel(Guérande, France)Use Fish baked <strong>in</strong> a salt crust. ‘It’s kept<strong>in</strong>credibly moist and flavoursome.There are two <strong>in</strong>gredients I can’t livewithout: fleur de sel and olive oil.’Eric RipertNew York chefand host of PBS’ Avec EricFavourite Smoked Vik<strong>in</strong>g seasalt (Denmark)Use Smoked yellowf<strong>in</strong> tuna prosciutto.‘The salt ties the flavour of the tunato the crispy kombu and Japanesepickled vegetables that accompany it.’Homaro Cantu US chef andfood futurologistFavourite Terra Spice’s Hiwa Kai blacklava salt (Hawaii)Use Edible, charcoal briquette, withpork. ‘Cubes of bread dipped <strong>in</strong> squid<strong>in</strong>k, deep-fried. The salt makes themlook more real and <strong>in</strong>tensifies flavours.’Tom Aikens Michel<strong>in</strong>-starredEnglish chef and TV presenterFavourite Fleur de sel(Camargue, France)Use Bread. ‘I spr<strong>in</strong>kle it on beforebak<strong>in</strong>g, for the texture and becauseit doesn’t burn like others.’Michael SymonChef, restaurateurand Food Network Iron ChefFavourite Cyprus Flake by ArtisanUse Braised short ribs. ‘It adds a nicetexture and helps cut through therich meat.’CORBISvolume thirteen Summit 33
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