A taste of Taiwan
Next year will be the tenth anniversary of the revived Zhounan Salt Field. Tsai remarks that when they started, Tudi Gong, the Earth God, presented them with three tests. First, to successfully use traditional methods in renovating their salt fields; second, to balance productivity with environmental awareness; and third, to create their own unique style.
The first test was passed when they produced their first fleur de sel and “frost salt” in 2014.
Addressing the second, Tsai smiles and gestures into the distance, pointing out a figure that seems to be dressed in a white shirt, black jacket, and red boots—a black-winged stilt checking in, proof of the salt field’s ability to coexist with the area’s natural inhabitants.
The third? That’s coming, as Zhounan works to develop a truly Taiwanese taste over its second decade, says Tsai. His hope is to get Zhounan salt products into the international salt market, to be put to the test by the great chefs of the world to create the perfect match. When that happens, Taiwan’s salt culture will have really gone global.
The combination of earth, water, wind, sun, and people is more than just the core formula for sun-dried salt. When we look at the traditional industries that seem to be all but gone from Taiwan, the restoration of salt production is more than just the preservation of a cultural asset—it embodies a spirit of working together with nature, looking for the right techniques and learning from the wisdom of the past, setting an example for future generations.
Spring and summer are the seasons when you will see fleur de sel crystallize, with its delicate pyramidal forms.
The resurrected Zhounan Salt Field produces salt on just two hectares, choosing to preserve the land and work in harmony with nature rather than chasing production levels.
Zhounan Salt Field has focused on creating distinctively Taiwanese flavors of salt to give home chefs a bigger range of options.