SPRING SALTS
Mineral Spring Salt, Peru
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This stunning salt comes from an ancient ocean, trapped underground, which feeds a natural spring located in a Sacred Valley leading to the lost city of the Incas. Located 10,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains of Peru, this warm spring water seeps incredibly pure saltwater into terraced salt ponds. These ponds, of which there are about 4200 cascading down the hillside, have been hand-harvested for over 2,000 years and are owned by individual families, who, after harvesting, load the salt on the backs of burros for the long descent into town. Peruvian Pink Sea Salt is very pale pink and has a rich, complex, mineral flavor.
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On top of the mountain, the salt is white and pure. The lower you get the more rosé it will be; this is because the salt collects increased minerals as it flows down the hillsides.
Sal de Añana, Spring Salt, Basque Country, Spain
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The purity of the salt crystals obtained in the Salt Valley of Añana is due to the traditional process of production and the raw material source. The brine that flows from the springs is created naturally when freshwater streams pass through the veins of solid salt deposited in this place more than 200 million years ago. Salt crystals are produced by hand over the threshing pits. The sun and wind causes the flowers of salt (fleur de sel) to gradually increase in size and join each other. As their weight increases they fall to the bottom and are collected manually by the salt workers. The benefits of salt crystals from Añana are recognized internationally since 1851. In that year, the salt workers presented this product in the Universal Exhibition in London, where it was awarded an honorable mention and a bronze medal. This type of salt, besides being produced in a cultural landscape with more than 1,200 years of recorded history, takes care of our health because it has a natural balance of minerals and is rich in trace elements.
Spanish Spring Salt, Andalusia, Spain
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This natural salt it comes from an underground river of salt water in Sierra Nevada, Spain. Favorable weather conditions for water evaporation and crystallization of this special Sierra Nevada salt is given from spring to autumn. Once the water is evaporated, a beautiful white salt is left, completely free of contamination. This salt retains all its original minerals and trace elements, making it worthy of its reputation as one of the best salts in the Mediterranean basin. Salt produced naturally; only with the energy of the sun and wind and free of any chemical additives.
The source of salt originates from the steppes of the Spanish Sierra Nevada. About 200 million years, this salt from a dried-up old sea lies in the depth of the earth. Groundwater sources dissolve the salt from the earth and bring it to the surface. Afterwards it is collected in specially made basins and the dry summer with an incessant wind causes the water to evaporate.
The Saline of Villena is located in an almost unspoilt area without agriculture and industry. The mild salt has a complex mineral structure.
Spring Salt, Portugal
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From the salt pans of Marinhas do Sol, close to Aveiro, there is a spring water salt that is harvested by a small group of farmers. A mere 12 tons are produced each year. Underground rivers mix with a rock salt that was formed over 200 million years ago and produce the brine which is found at the spring in northern Portugal. The brine is diverted into pans and then harvested by hand by the salt sweepers, who use traditional wooden tools to scrape the salt from the surface of the pans, as the water evaporates. For this you need a steady hand and an eye for detail. The salt is then dried in pyramids on wooden platforms in the sun. Finally it is controlled by an elite force of government employees, whose job it is to ensure that no skullduggery has taken place in the harvesting of the salt. It is then certified and allowed to be sold on the open market.