PRINTGourmet salts: A new food trend
Exotic flavors come from salts of varying origins
Leah Beane
These gourmet salts are sold at Tallulah's on East Broadway, thought gourmet salts are available from other stories including Hy-Vee on online sources.
May 3, 2012 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Move over, Morton. Gourmet salt is the next big thing. Even USA Today says so, naming salt the number one food trend of 2012. Gourmet salts vary as much in flavor and purpose as they do in color and texture. Whether mined from the Himalaya mountains or blended with dried rose petals, many of these salts have an exotic history. These upscale salts are more expensive than ordinary table salt, but they add an unexpected and luxurious feel to home cooking. Want in on the trend? Tallulah's is located at 812 E. Broadway, and a large selection of salts can be found at the Conley Road Hy-Vee.
Hiwa kai black lava sea salt
What it is:
Coarse granules of a distinctive silky black color
Where to find it/price:
$13.99 for a 6 ounces at Hy-Vee or $8 for a 4.8 ounces at Tallulah’s
Origin:
Commonly found in Hawaii, these salts are cultivated from evaporated Pacific seawater.
Tasting notes:
This black beauty has a stronger natural salt flavor than regular table salt.
Pairings:
Lava sea salt is intended as a finishing garnish rather than cooking salt, particularly when paired with meat, seafood or creamy sauces.
Health benefits:
Because this salt is mixed with activated charcoal, it provides additional health benefits due to charcoal’s detoxifying properties.
Fun fact:
Use a mortar and pestle or a grinder before sprinkling over food as the salt's crystals are a little too coarse for regular consumption.
Alderwood-smoked sea salt and hickory-smoked sea salt
What it is:
Coarse sea salts that have been slow smoked, giving them a rich brown color
Where to find it/price:
$7 for a 4.8 ounces of alderwood smoked salt or $6 for 3.6 ounces of hickory smoked salt at Tallulah’s
Origin:
Smoking sea salts is a tradition dating back more than 1,000 years. Norse vikings are believed to have devised this method of salt preparation.
Tasting notes:
The kind of wood changes the flavor. The alderwood salt has a cleaner smoky flavor while the hickory salt has a much richer flavor.
Pairings:
Use either salt on meats or vegetables to add a smoky flavor, particularly during grilling season.
Health benefits:
Smoked salts contain just smoke and salt, unlike smoke-flavored salts, which are coated in a synthetic flavored oil.
Fun fact:
Ordinary sea salt is slow-smoked over different types of wood for about a week to create these genuine smoked salts.
Rosemary Lavender and Orange Fennel Mediterranean Salts
What it is:
Blended with specks of rosemary and crushed dried lavender or fennel seeds and dried orange peel
Where to find it/price:
$13.50 for a 2.6 ounces of either salt at Tallulah’s
Origin:
The flat crystals used in both salts are imported from Europe before being infused with their respective herbs.
Tasting notes:
The rosemary and lavender salt is aromatic and slightly floral, but the citrus and fennel salt has a much lighter and fresher taste.
Pairings:
Use either of these salts on poultry, fish or lamb before grilling to add a Mediterranean twist, or sprinkle over bread dough before baking to create your own aromatic herb bread
Health benefit:
Both dried orange peel and fennel contain vitamin C while rosemary and lavender contain vitamin A. Both of these vitamins are known antioxidants.
Fun fact:
Rosemary and lavender are two of the most popular plants used in aromatherapy.
Tuscan rose and pink peppercorn
What it is:
Infused with dried Tuscan rose petals and spicy crushed pink peppercorn
Where to find it/price:
$13.50 for a 2.6 ounces at Tallulah’s
Origin:
Although pink peppercorns are a staple of French cuisine, they were banned in the U.S. from 1982 until 2005 because of adverse reactions some people had.
Tasting notes:
The peppercorn adds a sweet yet spicy bite to balance the floral undertones of the dried rose petals.
Pairings:
Mix into a sauce, or marinade rather than applying directly to food. Add it to extra virgin olive oil to create a dipping sauce for bread.
Health benefits:
Rose and peppercorn are thought to boost immune system health and protect against cold and flu.
Fun fact:
Pink peppercorns are not actually true peppercorns, but rather the dried berries of the Baies rose plant.
Himalayan pink Jurassic salt
What it is:
Coarse pale pink granules
Where to find it/price:
$5.44 for 10 ounces with built-in grinder at Hy-Vee or $7for a 4.8 ounces at Tallulah’s
Origin:
Mined from the Himalayas, where seabeds in the Jurassic period were covered in lava, which preserved the salt for 200 million years.
Tasting notes:
These pink gems have a deeper, mellower flavor that comes from the salt's high mineral content.
Pairings:
Recommended for use in brining and salt roasting to bring out additional flavor and juices in meat
Health benefit:
Thought to be the purest salt in the world, it gets its rosy color from the high iron content, a mineral that increases the absorption of vitamin C.
Fun fact:
This is Tallulah's most popular gourmet salt, says store co-owner Melissa Alabach.
