Sel des Pyrénées is known for its organic mineral salt, the "white gold of Spain", hand-extracted from a natural salt source in the Pyrenees. It is the only certified organic salt in the world, rich in potassium, magnesium and iodine. Although its specialty is salt, this high-quality salt is perfect for enhancing the flavor of any dish seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, creating exquisite combinations.
Salt from the Pyrenees is something very special, as it is the first salt in the world to be officially designated as organic salt. And that's no coincidence. This is because Sel des Pyrénées is extracted directly from nature using traditional handcraft methods. It does not need to be processed like conventional table salt. Bleaching processes are omitted, and because various cleaning processes are also dispensed with, the Salt from the Pyrenees contains all the natural minerals it has been able to accumulate over many millions of years.
Essentially, all salt is sea salt and consists mostly of sodium chloride. The consumer primarily distinguishes between sea salt and rock salt.
More than 220 million years ago, in the late Triassic period, what is now Spain was half covered by the Tethys Sea. Over time, the great continent split into the continents we know today. In some places, the primordial sea dried up, creating salt layers. These layers were gradually covered by clay and other rock layers.
Today, Sel des Pyrénées is located at a depth of about 3,000 meters. Underground rivers wash the salt out of the rock and bring it to the earth's surface. These so-called brine springs consist of water from the underground watercourses, which is not only very salty but also rich in minerals that it has absorbed on its way through the rock layers.
While salt used to be a very valuable and expensive commodity, today it is affordable for everyone. Commercial mining led to small, traditional salt pans, like the "Salinas de Oro," no longer being profitable and having to close. Only in recent times, as more value is placed on natural products, has traditional salt mining been able to regain a foothold.
As was common in the times of the ancient Romans, the Salt from the Pyrenees is extracted by hand. The "Salinas de Oro" salt spring is located in Navarre, Spain, in the foothills of Urbasa and Andía, two nature reserves. After resuming salt production, the salt pan has been run as a family business by the Gironés brothers for three generations.
The mineral-rich salt water from the brine spring is first channeled into small basins in the traditional way. There, nature, with sun and wind, takes care of the evaporation of the liquid. On the basin floor, the Sel des Pyrénées remains with all its valuable minerals. With manual labor and a scraper, the workers of the salt pan, the "salt gardeners," harvest the high-quality organic salt.
Like any salt, Sel des Pyrénées consists mainly of sodium chloride. However, while standard table salt has a very low proportion of other minerals, the organic salt from the Pyrenees can boast the following values:
It is noticeable that the primordial sea salt, Sel des Pyrénées, has all important minerals in much higher quantities than ordinary sea salt. Its iodine content is even more than 20 times higher! Thus, the organic salt from the Pyrenees can in good conscience be called a natural iodine salt.
The organic salt from the Pyrenees is a unique salt worldwide.
