Fleur de sel

"Fleur de sel" ("Flower of salt" in French) is a hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans. Traditional French "fleur de sel" is collected off the coast of Brittany (most notably in the town of Guérande - "Fleur de Sel de Guérande", hand harvested from salt marsh water being the most revered), Noirmoutier, and also Camargue, and is slightly grey due to the sandy minerals collected in the process of harvesting the salt from the pans. Fleur de sel is one of most expensive salts in the world and is usually sold in jars as it is slightly damp.Fact|date=April 2008

Also known in Portuguese as "flor de sal", the hand-harvested variant from the Algarve region of Portugal is becoming known, as it is of similar quality to the French "fleur de sel".Fact|date=September 2007 In addition, it has the advantage of being pure white and usually sells for half the price of the French "fleur de sel".

"Fleur de sel" is best used similarly to fresh herbs, sprinkling it onto food just before serving.

External links

* [http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2006/09/fleur_de_sel_de_1.html Article on Fleur de Sel de Guérande]
* [http://www.flordesal.net/index.htm Portuguese "flor de sal" site]