Ómós Digest #213: Salt of the Earth
A deep dive into our saline susceptibilities.
I think we have all shared a table with this person. Be it a fine dining restaurant, a deli or within the comfort of their own home, the ritual is always the same. The plates land, and before a single bite is taken, the hand reaches for the salt. All restraint is abandoned and a predestined seasoning occurs. The crack of the pepper mill usually follows closely, with the excess of salt flicked over the left shoulder for good luck. Finally, it’s time to dig in.
It’s a strange yet all too familiar custom. Never trusting the chef or our palates when it comes to seasoning. Yet what we often forget about in this situation is the seasoning itself - and most importantly, salt. But when we look beyond habit and into history, salt reveals itself as something far more profound. It is not simply a seasoning, but a record of place.
On that note, we’ve been working with salt ourselves - perhaps not always from the sea, but certainly in its many forms. As part of our preservation programme, salt plays a quiet but essential role. Take our ramson capers, for example, which we salt for six weeks before pickling. The salt we have been using for curing and brining is an organic, non-iodised Nin sea salt from Croatia, sourced through a wholesale organic importer, The OC. Our food sourcing policy at Ómós isn’t to be solely Irish, but to work with producers who share our values and ethics - delivering ingredients that are both financially and ecologically sustainable.
