La Biblioteca del Gusto
Volume 6 · Flavoured salt
Trapani sea salt and Calabrian chilli, at 15%. A salt that warms: use it uncooked, on grilled meat, on pizza, on eggs.
In Calabria chilli is much more than a spice. It is a way of cooking. In Diamante, on the Tyrrhenian coast in the province of Cosenza, a festival dedicated to it has been held since 1992, and since 1994 the town has been home to the Accademia Italiana del Peperoncino.
Trapani salt has an even longer history, going back to the Phoenicians. This volume brings the two coasts of the South together in a single gesture.
The salt forms in the salt pans between Trapani and Paceco. Seawater passes from one pan to the next until sun and wind leave only the crystals.
Calabrian chilli is Capsicum annuum, grown throughout the region. Once dried, its colour ranges from brick red to crimson. Here it is mixed with the salt in a generous amount: 15% of the volume.
Savoury and hot, in that order. First comes the salt, then the heat of the chilli, with a fruity note. Uncooked, it stays lively. A pinch is enough to change a simple dish.
The salt is Sale Marino di Trapani PGI (IGP), produced with a method checked by an external body. The chilli is Italian, from Calabria, with its percentage stated on the label.
