Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
Okunoto Agehama Salt (奥能登 揚げ浜塩)
Stories about this bottle
The story behind it
Seawater is carried up from the shore, scattered over a sand flat, and concentrated by sun and wind. This method, called agehama salt-making, has been practiced for 500 years, and it survives in only one place in Japan: the Nie coast of Suzu, on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa. It is designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property by the national government.
The salt is made by craftsmen known as hamaji. Every morning they walk down to the sea, fill their buckets, scatter the water across the sand flat, and turn the sand over. The brine, concentrated by the sun, is then boiled in a flat pan for about 6 hours and finished over another 18 hours. No machinery is involved.
The result is a salt rich in the minerals of the Okunoto sea, with a rounded, savory depth and no sharp edge. It is no surprise that ryotei restaurants and top chefs keep it on hand. A single rice ball becomes something worth remembering.
How to use it
Start with a plain salted rice ball. A pinch on tomato or watermelon makes the fruit taste sweeter. Also good as a dipping salt for tempura, or sprinkled on fish before grilling.