Ile de Ré fleur de Sel

Man shapes his environment over the centuries despite the elements.

A jewel of the French coastline, Isle de Ré was originally 4 islands which over time came to form a single island. It owes its fame to salt production. The first salty marshes appeared on the Isle of Ré in the 13^th century. Salt production totaled 3.7 acres in the 19th century representing slightly more than 15% of the island. Fleur de sel is an age-old part of the island’s agriculture together with potatoes and vines.

Fleur de sel benefits from the expertise of the salt farmers and an ideal coastal climate with lots of sun and wind. A thin crust of white crystals forms on the surface of the salt ponds when the water evaporates due to the sun and the sea breeze. If the fleur de sel is not collected on the surface, it sinks to the bottom of the salt pond during the night and cristallizes to become coarse sea salt. These harvesting methods are used by the salt famers who determine how fine the fleur de sel will be. The salt famers use a special wooden rake to collect the salt, carefully and with great expertise. This fleur de sel from the Isle of Ré is not harvested, but hand-picked !

It will enchant all your daily dishes! It is slightly pink and has a gentle violet-like scent and its texture is almost like snow.