Sel de Guérande

Last week I came back to Britanny, that little corner of the world I love and miss. I almost had forgotten one essential ingredient from the "menu breton": salt. At my mother's we usually don't eat much salt, and that fact made me find everything very tasty when I first went to Britanny. My favourite food (except for seafood, so good and cheap!) was the salty butter and, since then, I haven't eaten another kind of butter (the others are just so tasteless...).

Famous all over the world is the salt from Guérande. Guérande is a town located in Brittanny whose name comes from the breton Gwen Ran, which means "white land". Salt has always been used by human beings for their feeding but this industry during the 70's was no longer viable and seemed likely to disappear. However, a restructuring process took place and saved it, making great quality products which enjoy a great demand all over the world. Since 1996, the salt works of Guérande are among the 100 "Sites remarquables du gôut" in France.

There's no doubt salt is something we must not excess, but Guérande's salt is unrefined and unwashed, what means that keeps all the benefits coming from the sea. It's flavour is softer and more aromatic, and it's "Fleur du sel" (salt bloom) is superb, being the most appreciated among its products.