The Salt Flats of La Concepción
Those who reveal the salt, the salt workers, are the shepherds of the sea. It is an unusual culture because the water disappears for the salt to appear, whereas usually water is used to nourish the seed. A good salt worker is an alchemist: they master the secret of water.
When a gentle breeze blows from the north at the end of the afternoon, the fleur de sel crystallizes on the surface of the salt flats. It is then carefully harvested by hand.
For sea salt, three harvests are carried out each year (traditionally at the end of June, the end of July, and the end of August).
Seawater is first directed to large reservoirs. It then passes through tanks with clay bottoms to increase its salt concentration. The resulting product is called brine. The brine passes through a series of crystallizers, that is, concentration areas, and becomes increasingly enriched with concentrated salt. All the salt flats are at the same height, and the water flows from one to another by gravity.
Solar evaporation of salt occurs in basins with clay bottoms, thanks to the heat of the sun, a constant wind, and scarce rainfall during the salt harvesting period, from June to September.
The average salt concentration in seawater is 30 grams per liter. At the end of the evaporation process, it reaches 330 grams per liter.
The fleur de sel of La Concepción is an example of sustainable production: it is produced and dried only by wind and sun, and harvested without the use of machinery or fossil or electric energy.
Origin and Extraction
Salt, or sodium chloride (NaCl), is a mineral of marine origin. It was present in the water when the oceans covered the Earth and was deposited in sediment layers as the sea receded.
Salt is found in three forms:
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Sea salt
Sodium chloride, fleur de sel, or sea salt is produced by the evaporation of seawater and harvested in salt marshes. Solar or wind energy is used to evaporate the water. It is the only salt that requires no energy for its production. -
Rock salt
Halite (from the Greek hals, “salt,” and lithos, “stone”) is rock salt. Historically, halite deposits are the result of the evaporation of seas or salt lakes. These deposits consist of layers up to 30 meters thick. In France, rock salt deposits formed during the Secondary Era, between 250 and 200 million years ago, and during the Oligocene, in the Tertiary Era, between 33 and 23 million years ago. These deposits have been exploited since the Neolithic and are found in places such as Hallstatt in Austria, Cardona in Spain, and Slanic-Prahova in Romania. Their extraction requires machinery and therefore energy. -
Igneous salt
Salt is extracted from mountains in layers up to 400 meters deep. In the past, brine was evaporated in large containers. Today, concentrated brine is transported through pipes to drilling tanks and from there to salt flats, where it is purified and crystallized in combustion evaporation plants. Salt produced this way is known as igneous salt.
Differences Between Fleur de Sel and Sea Salt
Fleur de sel and sea salt differ in their harvesting method:
- Formation: Fleur de sel forms on the surface of salt marshes at the end of the afternoon, with a gentle wind. It is collected by hand with sieves and naturally dried in the sun. If not collected at the end of the day, it sinks and mixes with coarse salt.
- Grain size: Sea salt grains range from 1 to 6 millimeters, while fleur de sel grains vary between less than 1 millimeter and 4 millimeters.
- Production: Fleur de sel represents 5% of the sea salt produced on the same surface area.
- Processing: Sea salt is washed and sieved, often finely ground, whereas fleur de sel is dried completely naturally.
- Composition: Fleur de sel contains less sodium than coarse salt.
- Texture: Sea salt grains are hard and suitable for grinders, while fleur de sel grains are sprinkled directly onto dishes.
7 Benefits of Sea Salt and Fleur de Sel
- Environment: Sea salt and fleur de sel are unprocessed, only dried in the sun. They consume no energy, unlike rock salt or igneous salt, so they have no environmental impact.
- Minerals: Common fine salt contains 99.9% sodium chloride; fleur de sel contains only 95%, complemented with minerals and trace elements (magnesium, potassium, calcium, and iron).
- Heavy metals: Sea salt and fleur de sel are free of heavy metals, nitrates, and pesticides.
- Plastics: We use micro-particle filters that drastically reduce plastics in the water.
- Flavor: Fleur de sel dissolves quickly upon contact with food, allowing it to penetrate the dishes it seasons, giving them a unique flavor and texture.
- Hydration: Fleur de sel and sea salt help the body stay hydrated and retain fluids longer than refined salt, thanks to their nutrients, especially potassium and sodium.
- Digestion: By activating the salivary enzyme amylase, which breaks down carbohydrates, they improve digestion. They also contribute to the production of hydrochloric acid, necessary for protein digestion in the stomach.
