Fior di Sale | Salt Flower

Fior di Sale is Italian for “Salt Flower” and is a very special type of salt. It is only available in small quantities due to the specific harvest requirements. Fior di Sale gets its name because of the patterns that the crystal forms look like flowers. A few nicknames for Fior di Sale include “Salt Flower,” “The Caviar of Salt” and “Cream of The Salt Pans.”

The flavor is very delicate. Fior di Sale should be used as a garnish or finishing salt, instead of during the cooking process. We suggest it on both sweet and savory dishes, as it can be used to enhance chocolate, caramel, fish, eggs, or vegetables.

The Fior di Sale that Due Sorelle stocks is only harvested in July of each year because of the ideal environmental factors: heat, wind, and sun. The quantities available are incredibly small because of this limitation. Saline Culcasi explains the process of making Fior di Sale as “The salt crystallizes through the evaporation of the mother water inside of the salt tanks.” Unlike other salt, this is formed floating on the surface of the water and is harvested with a wooden rake, which is called “pidocchio fiorito.” After the salt is gently raked off the water, it is placed in a wooden box to naturally dry.

The history of the Salt Flower is quite interesting, as it wasn’t always considered a valuable product. People who harvest salt are known as paludiers, and for centuries the Fior di Sale was scraped away and discarded, or given to workers because it disrupted the evaporation process. However, the demand for Fior di Sale became apparent in local areas near the salt pans. Once mechanical salt mining began, salt became inexpensive and the demand for the high price Salt Flower plummeted, but in recent years it is considered a precious commodity. We have limited stocks available at Due Sorelle, once it has been harvested!