With the current woes of Wall Street feared trickling down to Main Street, at least some folks on Madison Avenue must be smiling. Marketers dream of converting dreary commodities into exciting products. And now, a "salt revolution" has come to our industry. "Everyone" is talking about salt, the media agree. For example, Amy Culbertson of the Ft. Worth (TX) Star-Telegram, publishes yesterday on Seattlepi.com , told readers:
Flor de sal hibiscus. Danish Viking-Smoked. Peruvian pink. Hawaiian red alaea. Black Cyprus. Australian Murray River.
Salts worth splurging on There are practically as many varieties of salt to choose from as there are oils and vinegars. Chefs are sprinkling them over ceviches, steaks and sometimes desserts; detailing their provenance on menus; offering tastings of them instead of filling saltshakers with them.
The salt revolution has really taken hold. No longer can you feel smug about cooking with kosher salt or sea salt instead of pedestrian old Morton. If you're cutting-edge, you'll be touting your French fleur de sel smoked over oak wine barrels.
But Culbertson wasn't satisfied, asking whether the highly-touted (and -priced) salts are more hype than hip. She interviewed a local restaurant owner, Jon Bonnell, owner/chef at Bonnell's Fine Texas Cuisine in Fort Worth, who told her:
"I think it's more about giving fun gourmet gifts than a genuine difference in taste," says Bonnell, who uses basic kosher salt for cooking at his restaurant. "That being said, however, I have six or seven different kinds of salts by my cutting board at home," listing as his favorites Danish smoked sea salt, Cyprus flakes and Australian pink salt.
And, if much of the appeal of the exotic salts is essentially theatrical -- well, dining has always been partly about theater.
Bonnell still uses kosher salt most frequently at home as well, but occasionally he'll grab a pinch of one of the exotic types when he's feeling playful. And it's the play factor that provides the intangible appeal of these colorful crystals. We humans have always been fascinated with gems and crystals, so it's no wonder these salts have such allure for cooks.
"It's kind of fun that even salt can be a playful ingredient these days," says Bonnell, who happily recalls a recent dinner at a boutique Napa Valley winery where heirloom tomatoes from the winery's garden were served with a half-dozen different salts for tasting, served in a gadget reminiscent of the carousel-style server restaurants used to use for baked-potato toppings. "That was pretty fun," he says.
Being "hip" may be mostly hype, but let's enjoy the ride!
