The salt marshes of Guérande
During a 2-hour private visit with a paludier, or salt worker, learn how salt from Guérande is produced and harvested, and discover the gastronomic virtues of salt during a tasting of savory and sweet treats as we stroll through the marshes; witness fleur-de-sel being harvested, and taste the delicate salt straight off the trowel.
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Fruit of the ocean, the sun and the wind, salt from the Brittany Atlantic coast of Guérande is hand-harvested by “paludiers,” or saltworkers, according to a traditional method dating back 1,000 years. This sea salt is completely natural, sun-dried, and guaranteed not to have been washed or refined. It is free of additives. Naturally rich in magnesium and a source of calcium and iron, Guérande coarse salt lends its complementary flavors to traditional family cooking: all kinds of food ~ pasta, vegetables, baked salt crusts, court bouillon, and grilling. There are two types of salt produced and harvested in this region: Coarse Grey, known as Sel Gris or simply Sel Marin, and the popular "Fleur-de-Sel", meaning "salt blossom".
The salt pans in the marsh outside of medieval town Guérande
Grey salt piled up to drain in the sun
At the market in Piriac-sur-Mer, Karen is purchasing a 25 lb. bag of
coarse grey sea salt to bring home.
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