Les Terres Blanches
The founder : Sonia Fanger
Swedish by birth and French at heart, Sonia has lived in France since the age of 6 where she grew up with the savoir vivre and the art of eating well the French way.
It was during a trip to Morocco, while jogging in the Atlas Mountains, that she came across some salt flats in the middle of the mountains. There she met a salt worker who offered her a small bag of fleur de sel and shared with her his passion for the fleur de sel harvested in the mountains.
On the plane back to France, she found the salt flower in her handbag offered by the salt worker.
Already a great lover of spices and French fleur de sel, something clicked: to combine her passion for gastronomy and design to select the best fleur de sel in France and around the world and to offer them a case combining modernity and design.
The brand
The brand "LES TERRES BLANCHES (logo trademark)" was created in 2018. The name was inspired by the salt flats that offer a magnificent view of salt-covered landscapes.
Passionate about gastronomy, Sonia Fanger launched the brand "Les Terres Blanches" with the desire to discover the best French salt flowers harvested in an artisanal way.
Our collection aims to highlight the craftsmanship of a profession that has been passed down from generation to generation. These salt workers, with whom we collaborate, all have a real passion for their profession and for this unique product, respecting the tradition of harvesting it in an artisanal way with a flowering hose.
From her passion for design, the founder wanted to offer a choice setting for her first collection and was inspired by the famous ball cactus discovered in the garden of Majorelle in Marrakech. The ceramic pot is handcrafted in Portugal which is known for the quality of its ceramics worldwide. We wanted to create a product in which all the senses are moved. The ceramic was therefore also created with the objective of creating an emotion, with a velvet effect touch.
The passion for travel is also present in this collection. After the launch and success of the Marrakech fleur de sel, which has become the "signature product", we now want to introduce artisanal fleur de sel from around the world, some of which are still unknown. In 2020, this "World range" will be expanded.
Our quality charter
By passion of the taste, the craft industry and the gastronomy, it took 2 years to find and select the best French Salt Flowers.
We have selected salt workers who are passionate about their work, still fascinated by nature and who manage to understand and cultivate the sea and the land. We have selected salt growers who respect the artisanal harvest with the flowering pod and a natural drying in the sun.
These craftsmen have such a quality of manual harvest, that no additives or transformation are necessary, once the product is harvested.
This is how we obtain a 100% natural product from French craftsmen.
The flower of salt
Fleur de sel is the thin layer of white crystals that forms on the surface of salt marshes, usually due to the evaporative action of wind and sun.
Fleur de sel is a true product of the French soil. There is a rich variety of Fleur de sel in France with origins from the Atlantic coast as well as the Mediterranean coast.
Depending on the origin, the sunshine and the wind, each fleur de sel gets a particular crunch, color and taste. A light violet taste, a more mineral taste, a subtle iodized taste, a white or sunny slightly yellow color, this is the richness of the specificities of each flower of salt.
Because of its higher mineral content compared to conventional salt, the grains of fleur de sel have a unique and softer texture. Thanks to the Magnesium Chloride, these crystals are a highly concentrated 100% natural flavor enhancer.
We have selected the best fleur de sel from France, harvested in an artisanal way, which respect our quality charter in order to offer only premium products of great quality.
The Flower of Sea Salt
Fleur de sel marin comes from sea water. These saltworks are generally located near the sea in order to naturally irrigate the ponds with sea water. The salt works in France that harvest this fleur de sel are mostly located on the Atlantic coast, but some are also located on the Mediterranean coast.
This flower of salt is harvested manually with a wooden tool called the "lousse à fleur" which is used to pick the flower of salt from the surface of the water.
The Flower of rock salt
This flower of salt is harvested in the mountains thanks to water that is drawn from naturally salty underground springs. It is harvested by digging wells to draw it from underground. These wells are used to irrigate the ponds. It has particular taste depending on its origin because its wooded, rocky and mountainous environment has a natural impact on its taste.
This flower of salt is also harvested manually with the "lousse à fleur" which is used to pick the flower of salt. It is then generally transported by donkey water to the valley to be packaged and sold.
Where does the "6 Sens" collection come from?
We have selected 6 exceptional salt workers who harvest the fleur de sel in an artisanal way.
Who harvests the Fleur de sel ?
A profession that is passed down from generation to generation, becoming a salt worker is first and foremost a profession of passion.
For these salt workers, the weather and the harvesting technique are very important, as for a great wine. For the fleur de sel is this fine layer of white crystals that forms on the surface of the salt marshes, through the action of the wind and the sun. And to ensure a beautiful texture and not to break its grain, the salt workers must collect the crystals by hand with a flowering tool. This is an art that allows the French gastronomy to continue!
A salt worker, a Saulnier, they are called "the farmers of the sea".
When is the flower of salt harvested ?
The flower of salt is harvested when the weather is good because for the flower of salt to be created, it must be warm. The sun and the wind are necessary for a thin layer of salt to form on the surface of the salt marshes. In France, it is harvested manually and daily, usually from the beginning of June to September. The salt workers harvest the fleur de sel by hand up to 3 times a day if the sun and wind are ideal.
Why do we say that Fleur de sel is a taste enhancer?
To understand its taste power, we need to explain the difference between standard table salt and fleur de sel and especially understand the impact of the way it is harvested.
Standard table salt is harvested twice a season. It is harvested in the same salt marshes as the fleur de sel. Once the basins are filled with water, the salt workers wait for the sun and wind to do their work of evaporation. Once the water level has dropped, a thick layer of fine salt remains at the bottom of the water. The pond is then irrigated again with sea water. And they repeat this process several times so that the layer of fine salt at the bottom of the water becomes thicker and thicker and more and more concentrated, until it has a rate of 99% of sodium chloride.
This is how classic fine table salt is harvested with machines that rake the bottom of the ponds.
Flower of salt is more complex to harvest but it is harvested in the same basins. When the sun and wind are optimal, the salt worker can harvest by hand with the flowering lousse, the fine layer of crystals that forms on the surface of the salt marshes up to 3 times a day from May to October. The flower of salt is harvested as soon as it forms naturally on the surface of the salt marshes. It is much less concentrated in sodium chloride since it contains only 94%. The remaining 6% of its composition is therefore natural magnesium chloride. This 100% natural magnesium is the best flavor enhancer that exists in the culinary world.
"The magnesium choloride contained in fleur de sel is a highly concentrated 100% natural flavor enhancer.
How to consume the Fleur de sel ?
Fleur de sel is a finishing salt. It should not be cooked or heated otherwise it loses its effect. It is used to season a dish just before bringing it to the table. It can also be placed directly on the table so that everyone can season their dish as they wish.
It brings to your plates very fine iodized flavors, conducive to a gustatory escape.
The fleur de sel is part of the DNA of French gastronomy. It goes perfectly with foie gras, meats, fish, it will also sublimate your salads.
It will give a new dimension to dishes where the association seems less obvious but the result is just sublime and surprising.
If you want to be surprised, try adding a few grains of fleur de sel on your oysters, snails or frogs legs. Your taste buds will remember it.
If you want to make a simple dish sublime, sprinkle fleur de sel on your boiled egg, potato salad or quinoa dish.
You want to cook healthy. Replace fine salt with fleur de sel in all your dishes. Do not salt your dishes during preparation or cooking. At the end of the preparation, salt with fleur de sel instead of fine salt. This will reduce your salt intake by 2 or 3 times, because flower of salt has a salting power 2 to 3 times higher than classic fine salt.
Flower of salt and Italy are also a perfect marriage, it will sublimate your pasta, your Burrata tomatoes and your dishes with truffles to perfection.
The flower of salt is a flavor enhancer for your desserts. It reinforces the taste of a food and removes its bitterness. A small amount of fleur de sel enhances the sweetness of a dish and improves the balance of flavors in pastries. So don't hesitate to add a pinch of salt to your cakes.
Fleur de sel goes wonderfully with dark chocolate, caramel, ice cream, macaroons and all your desserts.
From les-terres-blanches.fr
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