If you’re into fancy cookbooks, it’s not unlikely for you to have already encountered fleur de sel several times before. This article will get you introduced to some of the most important matters about it, like where it comes from and how it is used. So don’t stop reading if you’re curious to learn more about fleur de sel.
Fleur de sel means “flower of salt” in English. It is called as such because it adds a delicate yet highly unmistakable flavor to just about anything that it is sprinkled on.
It is supposed to be sprinkled on food as a finishing touch. While you may have it sprinkled on anything that’s in front of you for an added subtle punch, seasoned chefs say that fleur de sel simply go so much better with certain foods, and various meat and fish dishes are just some of those.
Fleur de sel is also commonly sprinkled on various desserts, most especially those that contain caramel or chocolate. It’s for the fact that the saltiness of fleur de sel helps bring out their sweetness.
Even though it’s quite obvious that fleur de sel is commonly sprinkled on fancy foods, the fact is you can have it sprinkled on everyday treats. For instance, are you aware that a lot of people who revere fleur de sel sprinkle a little of it on their oatmeal? You should try it to know why they do it!
Perhaps you have noticed by now that it seems like fleur de sel is usually sprinkled on food, and not added to them while they are being cooked. Well, that’s the way fleur de sel is supposed to be used.
Earlier, it was mentioned that fleur de sel has a delicate taste and that’s why it has a name that refers to it as a flower. But it’s not just the taste of fleur de sel that is delicate, but also its composition. Exposure to high temperatures causes fleur de sel to dissolve and lose its characteristic flavor that everybody adores.
Unfortunately, fleur de sel is not as cheap as table salt. If you want to grace your culinary masterpieces with it, you have to be willing to shell out more money that you would when shopping for table salt.
So just how pricey fleur de sel is? Well, there are actually different varieties of fleur de sel, depending on where they came from. The most popular type of fleur de sel comes from France, in particular the northern Atlantic coast of it. Experts say that the cost of fleur de sel that’s manufactured from it can cost 200 times more than table salt!
But that’s okay because a little fleur de sel goes a long, long way. This only means that investing in a small bag of it is enough to last you for many months of making anything that’s served in front of you boast of an extra oomph.
Only a very small amount of fleur de sel has to be sprinkled on food not only because we all know that too much sodium is bad for the health or it’s a super expensive type of salt, but also due to the fact that it is capable of making a huge difference even in small quantities. It all has something to do with its moisture content.
Unlike table salt or most other types of salt, fleur de sel is rich in moisture. And it’s exactly for such reason why its flaky grains tend to stick to one another as well as the container. But this is a good thing because it means that fleur de sel won’t dissolve easily in your mouth, allowing its characteristic salty flavor to linger.
Have you already tried adding fleur de sel to food? Feel free to share your experience with the use of fleur de sel in the comments section below!
