This brother quickly became an international internet celebrity just because of his coquettish salt-spreading posture, but salt-sprinkling is not his patent. In Western food, we often see the chef going to the dish after cooking a dish. Sprinkle some salt on the surface to finish, as if to complete a sacred ceremony.
In fact, the salt used by chefs has a high probability of being "Salt Hair", oh no, "Salt Flower". Being favored by chefs shows that it is definitely not ordinary.
Indeed, this kind of salt is called "Rolls Royce in Salt". It is a specialty of the European continent. Although the output is not as good as ordinary sea salt, there are salt fields with the "Flower of Salt" in France, Portugal, Spain and other places.
But the most respected of these is the "salt flower" produced in the Guerande region of Brittany, France. It is said that the price of a good quality "Salt Flower" is around 1,000 yuan for 50 grams.
A large bag of iodized salt in the kitchen was trembling with a few dollars: isn't it all the same sodium chloride? Why are you so expensive, with flowers in your name? !
This has to start with the "Flower of Salt" production method...
1. How did the Flower of Salt come from?
"The Flower of Salt" can be described as a natural product of the right time and place.
is first of all geographical advantages. The Guérande area is located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The locals introduced the nearby seawater into the salt fields divided into regular grids, and waited for the seawater to evaporate and the salt to precipitate.
Next is the weather. The climate should be dry, direct sunlight, and east wind. This wind is not the wind that Zhuge Liang's straw boat borrowed from the arrow, but a dry air current that can take away the water in the salt pan. .
Finally, there is human harmony. As the water in the salt pan evaporates and the salt in the seawater reaches a certain level, salt farmers begin to collect salt. The time for salt collection is mostly in summer. From June to September, the days are long and nights are short. At 11 o'clock in the evening, the sun is still hanging high above the sky, so the sea has enough time to evaporate.
Choose a good day, usually in the summer afternoon, salt farmers bring a long-handled salt rake made of chestnut wood to carefully pick up the salt flower crystals that have gathered on the surface of the salt pan.
The timing of fishing must be right, because these inverted pyramid-shaped white salt flowers are extremely fragile. When the humidity rises a little, they will dissolve; or when they are not fine enough, the salt crystals gather together and sink to the bottom. It has become an ordinary large-grain gray sea salt. It is precisely because of this that the "salt flower" must be harvested by hand. The salt-picking skills are passed on from generation to generation, and the expensive labor cost is also one of the factors that cause its high price. Then the salt farmers drained the water and exposed to the sun. These precious crystals will not be available until a few years later, and become the little embellishment on Western dishes.
2. How to use "Salt Flower"?
Generally speaking, the precious "flower of salt" is not directly used for cooking, but is mainly used as a finishing touch and a small amount is sprinkled on the dishes. This is because it is rich in minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which is milder than ordinary table salt, and has a little violet floral fragrance, so it can play a finishing touch.
Among all the classic dishes, the foie gras and the "Flower of Salt" are a pair of "golden partners". You only need to fry the foie gras in butter, match it with potatoes and other vegetables according to your preference, and finally sprinkle with some "salt" "Flower" can bring out the deliciousness of foie gras to the greatest extent.
In addition, it is also the darling of desserts. The combination of sweet and salty is not uncommon. Look at the cup of milk tea in your hand. The sea salt cheese milk cap on it is a good example.
French chocolate master Pierre Herme (Pierre Herme) used a lot of "salt flower" in his book "Pierre Herme's French Pastry Book for You". In addition to balancing the sweetness, it can also Bring a more refined taste to desserts.
In addition to today's protagonist "Salt Flower", edible salt is actually a big family, with many varieties even comparable to wine.
Three, a diverse family of edible salt
The history of human salt mining can be traced back to the Neolithic Age, when people gathered nearby materials and precipitated edible salt from the saline soil. As the times change,Ordinary salt has long been unable to meet people's needs, so different styles of edible salt have appeared.
There are various classifications of edible salt, and we can roughly divide them into three types: sea salt, rock salt and refined salt. Each category can be subdivided into different categories according to the purpose and type.
1, sea salt
, as the name implies, sea salt is the salt obtained by evaporation of sea water. The "Flower of Salt" mentioned above is a kind of sea salt. In addition, various coastal areas of the world also produce various kinds of sea salt. Due to different geographic environments, processing techniques and other factors, these sea salts also show different appearances. : Z1z
(1) Gray salt
Gray salt is a kind of sea salt, which comes from the evaporation of sea water. It can be regarded as a relative of the "salt flower". In the same salt pan, the salt crystals floating on the water are called the "salt flower", and the gray salt that sinks to the bottom after gathering.
It has a gray color, high mineral content, and a moist touch. This is due to the higher water content of ash salt. It is precisely because of this characteristic that it can quickly dissolve, and is generally used for cooking, adding to stews or using it during grilling.
(2) Flaky salt
This kind of salt comes from Essex on the east coast of England. Among them, the flaky salt from Maldon is recognized as one of the best sea salt in the world.
The production of other sea salt requires simple and crude evaporation of sea water, but the production of Malden flake salt requires three processes: first, salt farmers boil the sea water to remove impurities; then, continue to increase the temperature until the water is completely After the evaporation is completed, larger flakes of salt crystals separate out. These salt crystals are thin and brittle, and will break up if you carelessly. Therefore, in the end, a master with many years of experience must carefully collect the flakes of salt crystals.
This kind of salt is "calcined" at high temperature. It tastes pure and natural, and has a crisp texture. It is suitable for pairing with light-tasting vegetarian food, such as sprinkling on salads, adding stir-fried vegetables, mushrooms, or making sauce Juices and seasonings.
(3) Japanese snow salt
If someone asks what kind of salt is really comparable to snow among the "salt in the air", then it must be Okinawa snow salt in Japan. This kind of snow salt is sought after for its pure white color and powdery fine particles.
Snow salt is so pure and delicate, thanks to the coral reefs near Okinawa, these reefs are full of fine pores, which play a filtering role. Snow salt can dissolve quickly. In addition to being used in various dishes, it is also sold as bath salt.
2, rock salt
Rock salt is generally obtained from ore mining. This is due to the evaporation of salt water in a closed basin to form salt deposits. The thickness of the rock salt deposits ranges from a few meters to 300 meters. However, in different regions, it presents different states, such as in the form of evaporation products near salt springs, and in the form of salt frost in arid areas. In addition, due to the rich minerals, many rock salts will show various dreamy colors, such as blue, pink, etc.:
(1) Hawaiian volcanic salt
The color of this salt comes from the combination of volcanic lava and sea water. The activated carbon-rich volcanic lava accidentally fell into the sea, and the activated carbon combined with sodium chloride in the seawater formed black salt crystals.
This salt is rich in minerals and has a unique hazelnut flavor. It is suitable for pairing with heavy-tasting foods, such as grilled fish or barbecue. In addition, there is red volcanic salt formed by combining with red soil.
(2) Himalayan rose salt
There are not only Gesang flowers in the snow-capped mountains, but also roses...salt. This salt is pink in color and rich in iron. It is mainly produced in the southwestern foothills of the Himalayas in Pakistan. The large pieces of rose salt ore mined are used to make baking pans and placed on the grill. When grilling, you only need to put the ingredients on it, and the salt flavor of the rose salt baking pan will gradually penetrate into it; small pieces are ground It is formed into salt grains and is often used as a garnish in cocktails.
(3) Persian blue salt
Persian blue salt comes from Pakistan, Iran and other places, and the blue color comes from the potassium which is rich in salt. It is suitable for matching with seafood, it is rich in the first taste, slowly, mildly saltyThe flavor envelops the umami of seafood, slaps the mouth slowly like a soft ocean wave. Blue salt is also very suitable with sweets, such as caramel sauce and white chocolate.
3, refined salt
refined salt is artificially processed and purified to achieve a uniform texture. More than 97% of the ingredients are sodium chloride and basically no minerals. Our usual household salt and Table salt often referred to in English refer to refined salt. In many places, people will add iodine to it, that is, iodized salt.
4, other flavor salt
flavor salt is a compound seasoning, people add spices to salt to get more flavor, such as pepper and salt, etc.:
(1) smoked salt
smoked salt is a kind of flavor salt, this kind of salt After charcoal fire low-temperature smoke processing, it can bring a smoky atmosphere to the dishes.
Our nose can smell millions of smells, but our tongue can only taste five basic tastes. As one of the five basic flavors, saltiness corresponds to the most natural and purest condiment—salt. Without artificial processing, nature has already given us edible salt with such rich color and taste.
In addition to the above list, there are many different styles of table salt in various parts of the world. You have to wait for you to taste and discover in front of the phone screen.
Finally, the editor still wants to remind: there are many kinds of things, but not too much salt. Remember that the recommended intake of WHO is less than or equal to 6 grams per day~
