Choose from two types: smooth, refined salt boiled in an iron cauldron, and coarse sun-dried salt crafted by the power of the sun and human hands.
【Refined Salt】
Seawater, repeatedly poured from the top of the salt tower and concentrated by wind and sun, is boiled in an iron cauldron using firewood.
This is the traditional Japanese method for salt production.
Through repeated wood-fired boiling and stirring, the salt crystallizes. The fine grains are perfect for various dishes.
【Sun-Dried Salt】
Seawater, repeatedly poured from the top of the salt tower and concentrated by wind and sun, is placed in sun-drying trays in the sun-drying shed. The sun's power evaporates the water, causing crystallization.
The slow crystallization process results in larger grains.
Both refined salt and sun-dried salt become flavorful salts
rich in ocean minerals.
After removing debris and bagging, the salt is complete.
The Amakusa Salt Association, a connection we gained through the help of a dear friend in Amakusa.
Made without modern technology, using traditional salt-making techniques, this salt has a subtle sweetness. Even when tasted directly, it isn't overly salty, offering a gentle umami flavor.
Salt equivalent: 78.9%.
While the salt equivalent for modern common salts is typically around 90%, this figure indicates that it is richly packed with ocean minerals.
Our bodies were born from the sea.
Born from the sea yet living on land, our bodies maintain health by keeping our bodily fluids close to seawater composition.
Seawater is salty, but it is not merely salty. It dissolves every mineral found on Earth, composed of complex trace minerals.
While some trace minerals are lost during the process of pumping seawater and turning it into salt, salt slowly concentrated by human hands retains just the right amount of trace minerals essential for humans. This makes it perfectly suited to the composition of human bodily fluids.
The more I research salt, the more I realize how modern Japanese people have drifted far from the relationship with salt that people of old had.
Salt is so essential for sustaining and continuing life that a punishment called “salt deprivation” once existed.
For the sake of those living in the future, I want to support the production of domestically made, handcrafted salt.
While it is a bit pricey, I highly recommend trying it at least once as a finishing salt to sprinkle generously when the moment calls for it.
Amakusa Salt Association Official Website: https://amakusa-shionokai.com/
