A walk in the sapal

One of the Salmarim salt pans surrounded by an abundance of edible plants

This morning we scheduled a morning walk through the Sapal Nature reserve with our friend Jorge Filipe Raido from Salmarim.We learnt how sea salt has been harvested since Roman times in the Rio Guadiana delta. It really was an education, we not only visited the salt pans and acquired an insight into how the natural salt is collected, but also visited the Salmarim warehouse and saw work in progress. Jorge is developing the exciting  possibilities of many new natural flavours of infused salts.For me  it was also a chance to further develop my foraging skills and to bring home wild aspergo (asparagus) and Salicornia Europea (Marsh samphire). I am particularly excited about the latter as I am keen to introduce it into the Casa Rosada dinner menu, particularly for guests who may have been walking and experiencing the Sapal themselves. It will of course be part of the gastronomia silvestres workshops that we are now running with Maria Manuel Valagao.

Salicornea Europea and Aspergo