Salted_ A Manifesto on the World's Most Essential Mineral, With Recipes - Mark Bitterman [88]
The Azetec emperors craved few things more than a meal of roasted maguey grubs, the exceptionally nutritious and delicious caterpillar that feeds on maguey and agave plants. Also called the gusano rojo or chinicuil, this red-colored caterpillar is a delicacy to this day, sold live in markets or strung through and dried out in necklace fashion for those who prefer to wear their food. Gusanos are best known as the little worms found in the bottom of a mescal bottle, though most premium and all wood-conditioned mescals do not include the worm. The aversion to grubs among “civilized” eaters is unfortunate, as the delicate, meaty flavor of the gusano is as palatable as chicken, and its texture is no less satisfying than a French fry. If given the opportunity, definitely try gusano tacos or a plate of fried gusanos served with guacamole or salsa verde.
Sal de gusano is the least terrifying and most versatile way to enjoy gusanos. Oaxacan salt is ground up with mild chiles such as pasillas and sprinkled on food. Tuna ceviche, served in a sundae cup rimmed with sal de gusano, is a dish I remember fondly from long-ago travels. More recently, but more poorly recollected, were the nights out dancing in clubs and drinking mescal with a lick of sal de gusano from the sweaty wrist of a friend, followed by a bite from a slice of lime. Broadly speaking, sal de gusano is the steak-and-egg lover’s ultimate all-purpose seasoned salt, blending the popular appeal of zesty deliciousness with the serious culinary street cred that only desiccated insects can bring.
Salish Alder Smoked
ALTERNATE NAME(S): red alder smoked MAKER(S): n/a TYPE: industrial; smoked CRYSTAL: aquarium gravel (coarse grind); fragmented sand (fine grind) COLOR: wet bark FLAVOR: firepit MOISTURE: very low ORIGIN: United States SUBSTITUTE(S): Maine hickory smoked BEST WITH: venison or elk steaks; ostrich burgers
One of the more aggressive smoked salts known to man, powerful and intense, and at times a bit shrill—a war cry. A pebble of the salt sizzles with intense smoke flavors gathered up from slow smoking over red alder in a tradition inspired by the Salish Indians, who inhabited a large swath of the country west of Washington’s Cascade Mountains (Puget Sound was once called the Salish Sea). The trick is to use it sparingly. Sprinkling or grinding a few crystals over hearty dishes effortlessly evokes the traditional flavors of the Pacific Northwest.
While Salish alder smoked salt’s more natural uses are with game and hearty roasted vegetables, it lends an amazingly pleasant fragrance to salads such as romaine with goat cheese and nuts, or rich desserts such as cheesecake drizzled with maple-blueberry coulis. Unlike subtler smoked salts, Salish seems to bring its own agenda to the table, suggesting that it might be preferable to celebrate the salt by making it a focus of the dish, or by using it in stealth—a sly tip of the raccoon pelt hat to culinary traditions now lost.
Takesumi Bamboo
ALTERNATE NAME(S): none MAKER(S): n/a TYPE: shio; roasted CRYSTAL: basaltic rubble COLOR: sun-bleached lava FLAVOR: carbonated mangrove wilderness; crispy edge of tortilla MOISTURE: none ORIGIN: Japan SUBSTITUTE(S): none BEST WITH: cod; rice; raw oysters; tropical fruits; best salt ever on lean meats like venison, bufallo, ostrich
The crumbling texture in the mouth is like asphalt embedded in your hands after a fall, but this instantly dissolves into the sweetness of fizzled Poprocks, which just as quickly vanishes altogether. Was there more? Something profound and true was going to reveal itself to you in that first bite of Takesumi Bamboo salt, but the moment passes and you are left slightly dazzled, with a drifting sense of anticlimax. Then you relinquish the need to pinpoint the sensation and you are left with a revived and heightened satisfaction in the fleeting pleasure of requited