I still remember my first real encounter with salt. It was during a cruise and we got to taste several different salts in a restaurant. I learned that there is a difference between salt and salt. Since then I almost have a salt fetish. Visiting the Laeso Saltsyderi was a great experience.
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Laeso Saltsyderi
Did you know that the salt water (that makes the salt) is not allowed to boil? It should only simmer in 80 degrees celsius. So that’s how it is made – the salt simmers in big tanks. In warm countries, they are able to make the salt just with the help from the sun. Denmark never gets that warm weather and the summers are too short for making the salt in the sunlight. Instead, the Laeso Saltsyderi are using fire to heat the tanks up with.
The year 1157 the King, “Valdemar Den Store” discovered that the groundwater at Laeso was perfect for making salt. Said and done – they started to making salt and the rest is history. Ok so there was a problem after 600 years – all the trees were gone! Today that is no longer a problem and there are enough trees to keep heating the salt tanks. There is, even more, wood than they need so they export some of it as well.
Meet the maker – Poul Christensen
If you are lucky you will meet the brain behind today’s company, Poul Christensen. When he tells his story you can’t but laugh and he makes the producing of salt interesting. He learned how to make salt in Germany and took his knowledge with him back home. In 1991 he started the company and hired young and unemployed people to work with him. They built their Saltsyderi and wanted to start making salt. The problem was that Poul didn’t know the craftsmanship on how to make salt. He thought that the water shall boil and that all the salt will be at the bottom of the container once the water has evaporated. The result was bitter – the salt tasted bitter and not like it should taste and it had a grayish color. Today he knows to only let the salt simmer and not boil.
However, Poul did not give up. He sold the “wrong bitter” salt and pretended that the color and taste was due to the salt being almost 100% ecological. What an amazing guy! He holds his lectures during the summer. The only downside is that it is in Danish and not English.
Shopping Laeso salt at Laeso Saltsyderi
Inside the small shop, you can buy all things connected to salt. Not only salt for eating but also body care products based on the Laeso salt. And there are different kinds of salt. Me, being a spice-maniac – needed to try and to buy the different kinds of salt. The result? I bought 5 different kinds of salt that were in the cutest small fabric bags. The salts I chose were:
- A white bag with “regular” salt.
- A blue bag with salt that has dill, thyme, anise and fennel. Perfect for fish and shellfish.
- A green bag with salt that has rosemary, garlic, oregano and thyme. Perfect for venison.
- A red bag with salt that has lovage, tarragon, garlic and thyme. Perfect for meat.
- A beige bag that has smoked salt in it.
Our visit to Laeso Saltsyderi
We were there during a press trip with Visit Denmark. Before the salt- lecture and learning a lot about the white gold, we were invited to have the greatest lunch outdoors. Langoustine (Virgin Lobster in danish) is Laesos signature dish and these were grilled and boiled right beside us. We ate them with our hands and just enjoyed the food and the company. The sauces for the langoustine were amazing and white wine made this a perfect combination.
Information about Laeso Saltsyderi
Opening hours: All year round between 10.00 – 16.00 (except for holidays).
Entrance fee: Free of charge. There is a shop where you can buy all kinds of different salts (like we did).
Website: www.saltsyderiet.dk
This trip was a press trip with Visit Denmark. We share our personal experiences of the different places we got to see so this is not a sponsored post!
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