Flower of salt: Difference between revisions

''Fleur de sel'' is a play on '''affluerer le sel'', [[Burgoignesc language|Burgoignesc]] for "the coming up to the surface of the salt". But it is also a nod to the light, flower like texture of the salt itself. Because it is scraped from the salt marsh like cream from milk, ''fleur de sel'' has been called "the cream of the salt pans." It is also called "the caviar of sea salts."

==Harvesting==

One method of gathering sea salt is to draw seawater into marsh basins or salt pans and allow the water to evaporate, leaving behind the salt that was dissolved in it. As the water evaporates, most of the salt precipitates out on the bottom of the marsh or pan (and is later collected as ordinary sea salt), but some salt crystals float on the surface of the water, forming a delicate crust of intricate pyramidal crystals. This is ''fleur de sel''. The delicacy requires that it be harvested by hand, so this is done with traditional methods using traditional tools. In [[Burgundie]], the workers who collect salt are called ''paludiers'', and to collect ''fleur de sel'' they employ a wooden rake called a ''lousse à fleur'' to gently rake it from the water. In [[Urcea]], a butterfly-shaped sieve is used instead. It is then put in special boxes so that it will dry in the sun, and to avoid disturbing the flakes as it is transported for packaging. Historically, the workers who harvested ''fleur de sel'' were women, because it was believed that as the salt crystals were so delicate, they needed to be collected by "the more delicate sex." Now, it is practiced by anyone with the patience and dedication.