I have finally discovered flake salt.

All these years I’ve believed that salt is salt, NaCl is NaCl, and flake salt is just a marketing ploy to make people pay more. And salt grinders seemed even more ridiculous.

Then I read a magazine article about a salt (and a salt connaisseur who collected salt and owned 40 different kinds). The journalist tested various different kinds of salt and described their tastes so eloquently that he made me want to try.

So I had a mini salt tasting: table salt, coarse sea salt, and Maldon salt. What a difference! Table salt was sharp, almost bitter, aggressive. Flake salt was smooth, pleasant, mild. I put a flake of salt in my mouth and wouldn’t have said no to another. Then dipped my fingertip in table salt and it made me want to spit it out.

There are a few foods with salt as an essential component, that I used to like (years ago) but no longer do. For example, I used to like boiled eggs (with the whites pretty solid but the yolk runny or at least soft) with salt sprinkled on top. I have strong, distinct memories of loving them as a child. For years already I’ve noticed that I don’t really enjoy them as much any more. With flake salt, the magic is back – the eggs and salt taste great again!

Tomato sandwiches are another. Brown bread with lots of texture, butter, thick slices of ripe tomato, and salt and pepper on top. Just like with the eggs, I used to like them but then lost the taste for them – the salt felt like too much – and now flake salt made them taste awesome again.

And it looks awesome, too.