Among the abundant produce available in the Basque Country, there’s only one local ingredient that wins the approval of the region’s chefs. Añana salt has even been awarded a Michelin star.
Some gourmands may head to San Sebastian for effervescent txakoli wine, wedges of Idiazabal cheese and jars of guindilla peppers. But some travelers may want to bring back an essential ingredient of Basque gastronomy: Añana salt.
Añana salt: a one-of-a-kind salt
Firstly, the region’s most famous mineral, Añana salt is traditionally harvested from springs in an ancient sea at El Valle Salado, in the south-west of the Basque Country. Fleur de sel d’Añana is a delicate variety harvested by hand from the surface of the valley during the evaporation process. Indeed, it is easily distinguished from the pink pebbles of the Himalayas and the pyramids of Maldon. Its grains are white, flat as shale and of varying sizes, like shards of broken milky glass.
Martín Berasategui, chef of his eponymous restaurant, calls l’Añana the “Rolls-Royce of salts”. It’s a sentiment shared by many Basque chefs.
More than just salt
Not only is Añana salt an essential component of Basque cuisine, it’s also an integral part of the region’s culture. The salt valley has been an important economic engine in the region since the Middle Ages. Back then, it was under the control of a community of salt workers, and was home to over 5,000 platforms used to collect the white gold.
Then, in the mid-1900s, increasingly competitive markets led the Añana salt workers’ association – the Gatzagak – to cut costs. To do so, they introduced a cheaper and less durable building material into the salt works: cement.
So, with a new emphasis on profitability, salt was overexploited. The sustainable practices that had defined the valley for generations began to fade. Workers gave up their jobs, the area deteriorated and El Valle Salado almost disappeared.
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