Grey Sea Salt from Guérande Peninsula<1> (France)
Grey sea salt products with the "Le Paludier" brand name are referred
to as Guérande salt because the production process takes place on the
sheltered shoreline of the Guérande Peninsula.<2>
"Le Paludier" products are as clean as nature can make them: the production
process needs no fertiliser, no pesticides and no artificial ingredients.
The finished products are packaged according to macrobiology norms.
In other words, the salt is as clean and tasty as it can be.
Most products with the “Le Paludier” brand name have received the “Nature
et Progrès” Certificate—an endorsement by the premier European organisation
for organic agriculture.
The Saltpan (Guérande Grey Sea Salt)
Natural Grey Clay Salt Marsh Ponds. Workers who produce salt
in the coastal lowlands of the Guérande Peninsula are called paludier<3> — literally
a person who works in the salt marshes<4> of
the Guérande Peninsula<5>. “Le Paludier” brand
grey sea salt is all natural. It is made in the summer months—June to
September—in saltpans dug into the flat, expansive salt marshes. On
the rising tide the paludier allow fresh sea water to flow into the
saltpan through canals (Fr. “Etier”) made for this purpose. Weirs with
wooden blocks start and stop the flow. These salt pans, which occupy
thousands of acres<3>, are made and maintained by the
paludier. The making of grey sea salt involves a two step process: the
paludier allow fresh sea water to flow into basins dug in the grey clay
mud flats (Fr. “Vasière”). Second: Brine formed in the grey clay mud
flats is allowed to flow (decanted) into the salt-field (Fr. “Saline”).
The salt-field is a network of ponds dug in the native coastal marine
clay.
Brine-Making Stage. The brine making network consists of two
types of pond dug in the natural grey clay substrate: (a) large basins
(Fr. “adernes” or “muants”) and others (Fr. “aires,” “suillets” or “tables
salantes”). These latter are graduated in size, becoming ever smaller
and more shallow as the evaporation process reduces the initial volume
of sea water<2>. At each stage in this system of graduated
ponds the sea salt becomes increasingly concentrated. And the ponds
have been carefully engineered such that the concentrated brine can
flow by gravity from one to the next.
Salt-Making Stage. Summer Sun heats the sea water, and warm
winds speed the evaporation process. As the concentration of sea salt
increases, the sea water becomes a brine. The most concentrated
brine is decanted into the smallest shallowest saltpans (Fr. “Oeillets”),
where the salt solution becomes super-saturated. Here crystalline salt
is harvested. There are two crystallization pathways which yield two
different types of salt crystal: (a) Coarse grey sea salt; and (b) filigree
crystals referred to as “flowers of sea salt” (Fr. Fleur de Sel)<6>.
Coarse Grey Sea Salt. Most of the
salt in the brine crystallizes onto the grey clay bed that lines the
pond. These grey sea salt crystals, which take about a fortnight
to form under water, are harvested a couple of times a month from June
to September. The paludier gently rake this harvest—grey sea salt—into
mounds beside the ponds, being careful to avoid stirring up the clay
that lines the pond bed. Minute quantities of grey clay are incorporated
into the salt granules, and for this reason the product is a light grey
color. These mounds of grey sea salt are situated where excess brine
can drain away, back into the brine pond. After this finishing stage
the coarse grey sea salt—which remains slightly damp, and grey-tinted
from the clay—is ready to be packaged and sold. Some of the coarse
salt is ground before packaging to make a product with finer granularity
(fine-grained grey sea salt). Many gourmets who keep coarse grey
sea salt on hand, grind it in a salt grinder when they need a finer
textured salt, though they have the option to use the pre-ground product
when this suits their needs.
Flower of Sea Salt (Fr. Fleur de Sel). Crystals of sea salt
form on the surface of the salt pans by the combined action of Sun and
wind. These salt crystals are delicate, pure white, and very fine textured. Daily
harvest from each salt pan yields only a few kilograms of salt. But,
Fleur de Sel’s delicate texture—prized by gourmets—and the modest annual
production figures keep this product in high demand.
Grey Sea Salt Harvest: Details. From June
to September, the paludier harvest two kinds of grey sea salt: (a) coarse
salt which forms on the bottom of the grey clay salt pan, harvested
with a wide wooden rake (Fr. “las") and stockpiled on a small round
staging area (Fr. “ladure”); and (b) flower of salt (Fr. "Fleur de Sel")
which consists of small white crystals that form on the surface of the
water, also harvested with a wooden tool.
The Producer of Grey Sea Salt. Grey
sea salt with the brand name “Le Paludier” is produced by the Bourdic
Company (Le Société Bourdic) owned by family of salt makers who cherish
and use “traditional” methods. These methods ensure that (a) the salt
is sun-dried, and (b) the salt never comes into contact with metal,
a potential source of contamination. Historically, Roman salt making
techniques involved boiling brine in metal lined containers<7>.
The traditions of Guérande, by contrast, are completely natural.
The Bourdic Society: Details. Le Société Bourdic, producer of La
Paludier salt brand, has fewer than a dozen employees. Its packaging
facility is situated in the picturesque village of Batz-sur-Mer, in
the Guérande peninsula (France). The Bourdic Company operates somewhat
like a cooperative: it distributes grey seal salt (Fr. “Le Sel Cours
and Le Sel Fin) and flower of salt (Fr. Fleur de Sel) produced by
60 harvesters. Products of The Bourdic Society are made by people
who know, understand and adhere to local traditions. These products
are distributed in France and the European Community. Increasingly
grey sea salt is exported all over the world, chiefly to North America
and Asia.
The Bourdic Company. Here’s what the producer—Le Société Bourdic—says
about its own products: grey sea salt (coarse and fine granule); and
flower of salt—“Fleur de Sel”:
(1) Coarse Grey Sea Salt & Fine Grey Sea Salt (Fr. Le Sel Gros
et Le Sel Fin Nature)
(a) Coarse Grey Sea Salt: Coarse Guérande Salt is a natural
product particularly rich in magnesium.
(b) Fine Grey Sea Salt: Details.
The Bourdic Company (Le Société Bourdic) launched the first fine grey
sea salt—dried and crushed coarse grey sea salt—on the dietetic market
in 1975. Since this date, gourmets everywhere have sought out this fine
product of the Guérande peninsula.
(c) Fleur de Sel: The Bourdic Society’s salt product, “flower
of the sea”—poetically referred to as “Fruit of the ocean, Sun and wind”;
or, in French, “Fleur de Sel de Guérande”—is simply natural sea water
dried by sunshine. Delicate, filigree crystals of sea salt form on the
surface of the brine by the drying action of the Sun and wind. These
crystals are skilfully gathered up by workers (Fr. “Les palludier”)
using a simple wooden tool and a gentle raking technique. Many gourmet
cooks use this kind of sea salt to enhance the flavour of raw vegetables,
salads, and grilled meat. Used in this way Fleur de Sel has subtle texture
but no distracting crunch—just pure, enjoyable flavour.
Brittany and Region. Many of our readers might wish to
see more of the Guérande Peninsula. An excellent starting point is the
website Brittany.com<8> which has a photo gallery of
the region, including pictures of paludier women, dressed in traditional
clothing and carrying containers of salt on their heads.
Biblical History. References to salt in the Bible are numerous—two
dozen or more—and each use has cultural or spiritual significance. Perhaps
the most relevant cultural reference relates to salt as “salary” for
Roman soldiers. In Biblical times salt was a valued commodity, and source
of tax revenue to the Roman Empire. Today it remains a necessary part
of a healthy diet. Unlike manufactured salt, Grey Sea Salt of Guérande
is a natural source of dietary iodine and is rich in minerals, especially
magnesium.
Celtic Sea Salt. Many Britons emigrated
to the northwest of France in the 5th Century BC. Patterns
of immigration to Brittany (literally Little Briton) are eclectic
and include Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Isle of Mann, Galicia (Spain)
and Cornwall. The term Celtic relates to a culture and
a history shared among various parts of Europe, and especially Northwestern
France. References to Celtic Salt and Celtic Sea Salt correspond to
references to Grey Sea Salt of Guérande. Both come from a common source:
the extensive salt marshes of Guérande Peninsula; however Grey Sea Salt
of Guérande and Fleur de Sel Paludier are among the special minority
that have received the “Nature et Progrès” Certificate—a certificate
of purity earned by virtue of the paludier’s use of traditional methods,
tools and materials.
References:
The text above has been compiled from the most authoritative sources
available, all of which are referenced below:
(1) Guérande, formerly part of Brittany. People of the Guérande Peninsula
still fly the flag of Brittany and hold onto many of the Celtic traditions
of the region. The name Guérande derives from the Breton language and
means "White Land" - a reference to the salt trade upon which the town
was founded. [ http://www.pvf.dircon.co.uk/BCH-7B(LoireAtlantique).html ]
(2) Société Bourdic: lepaludier.com;
(3) Kurlanski, Mark. 2002. Salt: A World History. Knopp Canada. www.saltbook.com. Various pages referenced
by indexed key words.
(4) paludier: « personne qui travaille aux marais salants »;
source: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/groupejarc/surfer/lexique.htm#paléolithique
(5) Guérande. [ http://www.pvf.dircon.co.uk/BCH-7B(LoireAtlantique).html ]
The name Guérande derives from the Breton language and means "White
Land"—a reference to the salt trade upon which the town was founded.
(6) Fleur de Sel. [Fr. "flower of the salt."]—A white sea salt harvested
by hand in Guérande (formerly part of Brittany), France and available
only in limited quantities. Composed of the natural crystal formations
found on the surface of a salt marsh. The crystals are sun-dried only,
thereby maintaining many of the nutrients not found in typical prepared
salts. Fleur de Sel's unrefined nature lends itself to be served as
a condiment, rather than a seasoning, adding both texture and flavor
to a meal. www.recipegoldmine.com/glossary/glossaryF.html
(7) Jeremy Greenwood The New Wall saltworks, Apuldram. http://www.hants.gov.uk/newforesthistory/apuldram.htm
(8) Brittany website: http://www.brittany-bretagne.com/pg/guerande.htm