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global gourmetthem, and encourages the build-up of lactic acid that helps cabbageferment into sauerkraut, for instance. Brined pork-in-the-barrel wasa precious source of meat and fat in winter; bacalao (dried salt cod)was traded for centuries; and such delicacies as Parma ham and duckconfit would not exist without salt.Such is its moreishness, even animals crave it. ‘When the firstEuropeans came to North America, they did not find it trackless,’writes Margaret Visser in Much Depends on Dinner. ‘Buffalo trailshad been worn for centuries to the salt-licks [outcrops of rocksalt licked for their mineral content] and it was along thesesmoothed short-cuts through and around natural obstacles thatthe first explorers began to move across the continent.’ Salt is etchedinto our landscape and our psyches, a mysterious oxymoron, anedible rock.WHERE TO STAY/dineFor further information and reservations, visit www.SummitHotels.comFreshly cleaned salt.Left: A man collects salt in Salarde Uyuni salt flats, Bolivia‘Make salting a deliberate act,’ he says, ‘seeing it as an opportunityrather than a routine habit. Use only natural, unrefined salts.’Historical linksTrue purists make their own, including British chef Steve Harris atThe Sportsman, a Michelin-starred gastropub in the tellingly namedvillage of Seasalter in Kent. In medieval times, the wild, windwhippedmarshes nearby were a crucible of salt production, supplyingthe kitchens of Canterbury Cathedral. In the pub’s basement, Harrisshows me buckets of seawater lugged from the shore, which will befiltered and evaporated on the stove. ‘We use it to cure our air-driedhams,’ he says, ‘and we churn our own [salted] butter as well.’Across the English Channel in the Guérande region of northernFrance, seawater is captured in reservoirs at high tide and directedinto a maze of channels ending in shallow pools. Along the way, it isevaporated by the sun and wind. The fluffiest, whitest, flower-likecrystals (fleur de sel) appear at the rim of the ponds only when a drywind blows from the east, and are gathered into piles by the paludiers,or salt marsh workers, using wooden rakes.For at least 3,000 years, salt has been harvested from underground,too, chiselled by hand from sedimentary layers or columns that risefrom deep within the Earth and billow near the surface to formdomes. Near Salzburg (‘Salt City’) in Austria, villagers have found thebodies of Iron Age miners, the victims of mine accidents, perfectlypreserved in salt. Roman soldiers were paid in salt, the origin of theword ‘salary’. Entire civilisations have been built on salt and warshave been fought over it, such are its near-magical qualities.Not only does it transform the taste of food, but it also preservesit. By osmosis, salt draws out moisture from bacteria cells, killingHacienda del Sol GuestRanch ResortTucson, Arizona, United StatesDiners at The Grill, the awardwinningrestaurant at this Tucsonresort, can take their pick from RedAlaea sea salt from Hawaii, smokedsea salt from Mexico, and Maldonsea salt from England to flavour theunsalted butter on the table. In thekitchen, meanwhile, they use theseunique salts to create spice rubs forvarious meat and fish dishes. Theyalso salt brine their own pork bellyand beef brisket, and even createtheir own special salts on occasion– smoked balsamic sea salt, perhaps,or ginger and lemon sea salt.Parkyard Hotel ShanghaiShanghai, ChinaThere’s a non-culinary use for saltin the spa at this Shanghai hotel,where aromatherapy bathing saltsare used in the relaxing ParkyardFoot Massage treatment. Guestscan choose from four differentscented salts: lavender (for tensionrelease), rose (for vitality), rosemary(to boost the spirits) and grapefruit(for relaxation).EAST, BeijingBeijing, ChinaRob Cunningham, Executive Chefat this new Beijing hotel, uses avariety of salts throughout hiscooking, but a particular favouriteis Zigong salt from Sichuan in China:‘It’s an absolutely pure, mediumgrainsalt, with a great mineralflavour.’ He uses it to make a styleof gravlax, mixing the Zigong saltwith sugar, dill, coriander, corianderseed and citrus rind, then packingit onto salmon and leaving to curefor 72 hours. After being washedand further marinated in sherry,the fish is then thinly sliced andserved with a mustard seed and limemascarpone and some fresh herbs.Bogotá Plaza Summit HotelBogotá, ColombiaOne of the highlights of a visit tothis central Bogotá hotel is thechance to take a day trip to theextraordinary Catedral de Sal (SaltCathedral). Around 50km north ofthe city, in Zipaquirá, this culturallandmark is built deep undergroundin an abandoned salt mine andis considered one of the mostimportant engineering projectsin the country.Hotel New GrandYokohama, JapanThe main salt used throughoutthe various restaurants atYokohama’s Hotel New Grand isJapanese Hakata salt, but in LeNormandie, which specialises inFrench cuisine, they use a coarsegrainedvariety from the Camargue,in the south of France, to add thatauthentic special touch to fish,meat and other dishes.Robert Harding, GETTY IMAGESvolume thirteen Summit 35