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Fleur de Sel
Fleur de sel is a real trend these days, and not a passing one, I don't think. I have been using it for years (and dragging it back across the Atlantic to keep friends supplied, although now you can finally get it in North America). I cannot imagine my table without it. Fleur de sel is those salt crystals which rise to the top of the water during the extraction process and get skimmed off first. They are meant to be the purest of the sea-salt harvest, which perhaps explains why they are so white. Anyway, the whiteness and purity are secondary matters. What makes fleur de sel indispensable is its texture: neither too fine nor too coarse, fleur de sel gives the taste of salt with just the right hint of crunch. Coarse salt is no replacement because it is much bigger (almost pebbly) and neither tastes nor feels good in the mouth (save that for the pasta pot). Fine salt isn't the same either because it disappears right into food (ideal for cooking). Fleur de sel is not for cooking; its role is as a garnish: in other words, it is meant to go on food, such as salads, not in it.
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Photo: Various fleur de sels: one plain, one flavoured with garlic and parsley, another flavoured with ginger.
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