Food

If your idea of fancy stretched as far as Maldon Sea Salt, then welcome to the crystalline heights of finishing salt, the caviar of which, according to pros the world over, goes by the name of Fleur de Sel, a subtle, refined low-sodium flavor enhancer which was originally harvested under highly controlled weather conditions in the Guérande region of France. As with black Hiwa Kai salt from Hawaii or Kala Namak from India, provenance is the key constituent of a salt’s high-ranking distinction.

Catalan connoisseurs, whose salt source is the Ebro Delta, have been trailblazing in innovation for a while now. The region boasts its very own Flor del Delta brand, thanks to the expert collaboration of Michelin-starred chef Joan Roca, and there is a blossoming market for quirky science-style experiments like liquid salt. And now the last bastion of the sweet-savory divide – dessert – is being treated to a whole manner of cunning reinvention, from Barcelona ice-cream manufacturer Sandro Desii inventing a Flor de Sal ice cream to the growing number of restaurants serving up their chocolate mousses with a garnish of salt and olive oil.