Fleur de sel

I remember being in France on a trip with our students once and becoming almost overwhelmed with the enormous richness of the French culture. Admittedly, we’d been on a mission to soak it in, but at that moment it seemed like it was coming from every direction and permeating my very pores. Music, history, wine, fashion, language, art, cuisine…and I could tell I’d barely scratched the surface.

I’ll never forget that feeling and it’s what will propel me back to France for the rest of my life (if I’m very, very lucky).

So it was no surprise to me when I happened across the famous Fleur de Sel from Île de Ré recently that there was a history and tradition behind it qui fait rêver.*

In a tradition that spans more than 1000 years, paludiers* have hand gathered sea salt from the salt marshes in the north of Île de Ré. Known as “l’or blanc” or white gold, fleur de sel* production is once again a flourishing commercial pursuit. It was first traded in the Middle Ages, when monks from Saint-Michel-en-l’Herm, aware that the island was ideally situated at the crossroads of important shipping routes, decided to enter the market, trading with their Nordic neighbours the Danes, the Dutch and the Germans.

The arrival of railways and the Industrial Revolution spelled the end of the trade and the marshes fell into disuse, until in 1942, when a rehabilitation program was instigated which saw the patrimoine* of this ancient practice conserved.

So what makes fleur de sel so special? The reason lies in the fact the vast majority of the salt contained in the salt pans settles on the bottom of the marsh during the evaporation process. However, each day some salt crystals float to the surface of the water, forming a delicate crust on top. Its fragility necessitates that it be gathered by hand, and historically, workers who harvested fleur de sel were women, since it was believed they needed to be collected by "the more delicate sex." Today, both men and women do the harvesting, lifting the crystals from the salt marsh, like cream from milk. All of this care and attention doesn’t come cheaply of course, earning fleur de sel the nickname of "the caviar of sea salts."

Happening upon this website by chance is where the story kicked off, et quel voyage*! If you’re keen to treat yourself or someone you love for Noël, bringing a touch of tradition to the table has never tasted so good.

*that makes you dream | *salt mongers | *flower of salt | *heritage | *and what a trip!