Valle Salado de Añana: The Purest Salt for Fermentation
Published by ONIMA Pantry on
The Role of Salt in Fermentation
At the core of any raw vegetable fermentation is salt. Salt (NaCl) is responsible for creating an environment in which pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms die, while favorable ones, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB), thrive.
Salt draws out water from vegetable matter through osmosis, and this naturally extracted water helps create a brine that encourages the growth of LAB. Instead of creating an artificial brine with salt and water, why not use the water already present in the pepper? A pre-made brine will dilute the flavor after fermentation. For this reason, we choose a process known as mash fermentation. This process is incredibly simple: pulverize any vegetable (chili) with a 2-5% ratio of salt by weight, and you have a mash. Leave it to ferment until the pH is reduced to your desired range, and you've created fermented chili mash.
Discovering High-Quality Salt
Before ONIMA began, we recognized the importance of using high-quality salt. While living in Kentucky, I exclusively used J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works due to its superior quality and regional significance. When I moved to Spain, the first thing I searched for was an equivalent. As it turns out, there is a beautiful salt mine in Basque Country that has been operating for over 7,000 years: Valle Salado de Añana.
Valle Salado de Añana: A Marvel of Nature
Valle Salado de Añana is more than just a salt supplier for us; it’s an archaeological wonder, an architectural masterpiece, and the oldest active salt pan in the world. The salt mine uses no mechanical pumps or gasoline-fueled extraction methods. Everything is done by gravity and by hand, with tools made from iron and wood.
Saline-rich water flows from underground springs through the valley and is channeled into large pans for slow evaporation. This process can only occur during good weather to protect the salt from impurities brought in by wind or rain. As the water evaporates, workers rake and pile the salt into mounds before transporting it to inspection rooms where it is checked for debris and impurities. After passing inspection, the salt is sorted into various grades for different applications.
Why ONIMA Chooses Valle Salado Salt
The salt water from Valle Salado de Añana has never touched a modern ocean, meaning it is free from microplastics and other contaminants introduced by human activity. It is the cleanest salt in the world and is the reason ONIMA chooses to use it for our chili fermentation process.
