France's traditional sea salt is culinary white gold

DW (English)

Harvested for centuries on the French Atlantic island of Noirmoutier, sea salt is a must-have fine food essential.

Transcript

00:00The interplay of water, wind and sun produces the white gold of Noir Moutier, salt.

00:09The island of Noir Moutier is on the French Atlantic coast in the Bay of Biscay and is about 50 square kilometers in size.

00:17Its treasure is sea salt, which has been produced the same way since the Middle Ages.

00:23In early spring, Arnaud Géga starts work in his salt pans. He is one of 150 salt producers on the island.

00:33It's time to wake the salt pans from their winter slumber when the weather gets warmer.

00:40When spring starts, we clean the basins one by one in the direction of the flow.

00:46We clear out what's built up over the last year, pump out the mud, and keep a little bit to spread on the raised footpaths.

00:57His salt work involves 26 clay basins, where the salt will be harvested later in the year.

01:03He has to clean an area of around 12,000 square meters.

01:07This job takes us almost the entire spring. The weather determines the pace of our work.

01:18We can work one day, but not the next, because it's raining. We are completely dependent on the weather.

01:25Arnaud and his wife Audrey sell coarse salt and the fine fleur du sel produced last year.

01:36Audrey has also developed a whole range of flavored salts.

01:43Coarse salt can be used to make seasoning salt for broth and spicy devil salt.

01:49There are blends with fleur du sel such as garlic and parsley, smoked sweet paprika, herbe de Provence, and now spirulina.

01:56However, salt is not the only treasure of the salt pans.

02:01In the spring, an edible, iodine-rich plant called glasswort, or sea asparagus, grows here.

02:08It's growing in popularity, so Audrey also collects it and markets it.

02:13You can eat this raw or sauté it like green beans.

02:18We mostly sell it pickled in vinegar and herbs. It's very popular and we usually sell out by the end of the season.

02:30The water that supplies Arnaud and Audrey's salt pans comes from the Atlantic through a network of canals.

02:36The salt pans lie two meters below sea level.

02:40From the Atlantic, the water has to flow several kilometers inland, its volume regulated by sluice gates.

02:48This is how the salt pans are ultimately flooded.

02:54By early June, when it's warm and summery, Arnaud can begin harvesting the salt.

03:01To harvest the salt, you first have to go around and clear the edges.

03:07The rake has a slanted edge that can be used to push the water, making small waves that push the salt crystals up onto the embankments between the basins.

03:16Once on the embankments, the salt has to drain for a whole night. In the morning, it is placed on a large salt heap where it dries for at least a year.

03:29The sun, temperature and wind have to work together to produce this white gold of Noir Moutier.

03:36The harvest season only lasts 30 to 40 days per year, and for Arnaud and Audrey, this period is crucial.

03:44During harvest time, we try to get the best harvest possible. That's what we live on for the rest of the year.

04:00Fine salt from Noir Moutier.

04:03In the 90s, there were only around 30 salt harvesters on the island.

04:08But the craft is experiencing a rebirth.

04:11A centuries-old tradition, thriving once again, today.

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