Sea Salt - Portuguese
Our finest white sea salt from the environmentally protected salt marshes of southern Portugal, an area that has supplied the world with salt since ancient times. Hand harvested and sea water washed for smoothness and natural whiteness. Valuable trace minerals. Contains no additives, bleaches, chemicals, flowing or stabilizing agents. Our finest, smooth flavor, white table salt.
EDEN Atlantic Sea Salt is from the treasured, environmentally protected salt marshes of southern Portugal in the province Algarve (al-gar-vay), one of Earth's most beautiful shorelines and one of the last remaining sea salt producing areas of Portugal. Located at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea this region supplied salt to the entire known world in ancient times. It is believed that the Phoenicians originally built the clay salt basins called 'salinas' and later the Moors and Romans used them supplying sea salt to all of Europe and North Africa. It is hand harvested in the same manner that has been used for over 2,000 years. High quality, natural sea salt is still one the most important exports in the Algarve region.
The Algarve region is ideally suited for the production of sea salt with its sunny climate, dry Atlantic winds, and the hot winds that blow across from North Africa, all of which assist in the evaporation process. Portuguese sea salt is also naturally more white than other sea salt due to receiving less rainfall that stirs up clay in the salt basins discoloring the salt.
The salinas of Algarve are a complex system of small and large lagoons, interconnected by canals, separated by banks planted with hedges that resist erosion during the winter storm season, and linked by footpaths. Waters from the Atlantic flow into the canals filling the man-made patchwork of rectangular, hard sun-baked clay salinas. As the water travels it evaporates. Evaporation by sunshine and wind transform the sea into a layer of large coarse crystals called ''sal marinho tradicional' or traditional sea salt. The crystals are then hand harvested by the marenotos or 'salters' using a long rake-like tool to scrape the crystals from the bottom of the salinas. Using strong, swift strokes, the marenoto draws the crystals to one side of each salt basin. They are carried with shovels to a dry basin where it is piled into pyramids that eventually become several feet high as the harvest season progresses. The large piles of coarse crystals dry through evaporation by the sun and wind. It is gathered and moved to a processing area where it is washed to remove impurities such as sand and seaweed. The salt crystals are placed in a cleaning basin and bathed in sea water that is piped directly from the Atlantic Ocean. The sea water is centrifuged out. This cleaning process is repeated several times, brightening and whitening the salt while preserving flavor and nutrients. After cleaning the salt goes to a mill where it is ground to a fine powder, sifted to ensure a fine consistent grain, and sent to the dryer where warm air is blown over the salt until it reaches 0.01% moisture content. It is then bagged and shipped to Eden where it is packed in glass jars to prevent it from absorbing further moisture that will cause sea salt to clump or cake since it does not contain any anti-caking agents.
Only natural and traditional methods, no additives, chemicals or anti-caking agents are used to create EDEN Atlantic Sea Salt's smoothness and natural whiteness, and to capture its flavor and store of valuable minerals and trace elements. We do not strip out the minerals and then 'fortify' it with iodine. EDEN Kombu, Wakame, Nori, and all sea vegetables as well as fish are excellent sources of natural iodine and other important nutrients.
Most commercial salt is bleached, heated to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, microwaved, and infused with synthetic chemicals that act as flowing agents to achieve desired texture and cosmetic features. In addition to containing additives, commercial salt is excessively refined. It is comparable to white bread in that most of the minerals and trace elements are removed and then, in some case, a few are artificially returned to create a semblance of healthfulness. These refined salts, deprived of a naturally occurring balance of elements and nutrients not only contributes little to health, but may actually deplete the body of its store of minerals necessary to neutralize and digest refined foods. The result of this excessive refining process is a metallic bitter flavor. It is not only marketed as table salt but is commonly marketed as sea salt or solar dried salt. This type of salt is not the authentic traditional sea salt carrying the EDEN name.
EDEN Atlantic Sea Salt has a clean, smooth full bodied flavor. An excellent value, it is ideal for everyday use as a table salt, and for all your cooking and baking needs. A small pinch is all that is needed to bring out the delicious flavor of grains, beans and vegetables. For use in salt shakers, add grains of rice to help control clumping in humid environments.
