Salt - an essential mineral
Salt is an essential mineral that the body needs every day. It is in blood and cells, playing a crucial role in overall health. As with so many things, it is about the balance: in small amounts, salt is important for the body, but excessive salt consumption is unhealthy.
The many faces of salt
There are three types of salt: rock salt, vacuum salt and sea salt. Although they have the same basic composition, each type is unique in its origin and the way it is obtained.
Sea salt
Sea salt is harvested by pouring sea water into shallow basins where the water naturally evaporates through the power of sun and wind. In conventional salt harvesting, special machines help to harvest, wash and dry the sea salt. Depending on the region and weather conditions, sea salt can have different colours. In Brittany, for example, the sea salt harvested tends to be greyish in colour, while in the Mediterranean region it tends to be white. The grey colour of the salt comes from fine particles like clay that mix with the salt crystals.
Some sea salt is still harvested by hand today, using traditional methods. This artisanal process requires time, patience, and expertise. Traditional sea salt is neither washed nor industrially dried, forming naturally from just the sea, sun, and wind.
Fleur de Sel - ‘flower of the sea’
This exceptional salt develops on hot days when warm winds create delicate salt crystals on the water’s surface. The fine salt crystals are carefully harvested by hand and have a special structure. Professional chefs and gourmets appreciate it for its delicate, light texture, which melts quickly in the mouth. This salt is a real highlight for the kitchen and for special moments of pleasure.
Rock salt
Millions of years ago, water from vast primordial seas evaporated due to intense sunlight and high temperatures. Over time, the remaining salt was covered by soil and rock. Today it lies deep underground and is mined.
Rock salt occurs in various colours, even pink or blue. Pink rock salt is widely recognized as originating in the Himalayan region but is also found in other regions of the world like Germany. The pink colour is mainly attributed to traces of iron within the salt. Blue rock salt, with its unique coloration derived from minerals such as potassium and iron, is predominantly found in Persia.
Vacuum salt
Vacuum salt is extracted deep from the earth. The salt is dissolved from underground salt deposits with the help of water. The result is a salty solution called brine. This is transported to the earth's surface and heated in a vacuum system, so that the water evaporates more easily. What remains are fine salt crystals - vacuum salt.
