Our story dates back to a time that under-twenties can’t remember. That being said, nor can their elders. 250 million years ago, the sea bathed the Himalayas. As it retreated, it left behind an incredibly rich salt with an orangey-pink tint. “Low in sodium, it is nevertheless an excellent source of minerals and trace elements, containing iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium. With its subtle flavor and crunchy texture, it is a perfect marriage for the health-conscious gourmet,” explains Ciro Forte. And his judgment has authority! Forte is known to be a master of condiments, and

In Vieux-Nice and, more recently, in Saint Raphaël, Ciro Forte regales gourmets with an “extravagant” choice of salts from around the world, from the Himalayan heights to the volcanoes of Hawaii.

By Jerôme Dumur - Photos DR - January 1, 2012

Discover

Food

his little boutique located on rue Paiolière in Vieux-Nice, “Girofle et Cannelle,” is familiar to more that one Michelin-starred chef. Before becoming a salt specialist, this Niçois was first and foremost an épicier in the original sense of the word: a spice dealer. “My family has been selling spices for a good half-century. Most of my thirteen brothers and sisters are in the business, living all over France, from Bourges to Annecy. And that isn’t counting the nieces and nephews who have joined them!” The story might have ended there, had it not been for a little sample packet discovered at a supplier’s.

Lorem ipsum dolor

Girofle et Cannelle
4, Rue Pairolière  
NICE
Tél : 04 93 54 43 13
www.girofle-et-cannelle.com

“It was red salt from the island of Molokaï. I was won over by its terracotta color, which comes from volcanic clay, and the hint of grilled hazelnuts in its flavor, and I decided to carry it in my shop. That’s how it all started.” As the years passed, Ciro began carrying salts from around the world in his shop in Nice (and also his online store): aromatic salts with truffles, mushrooms, garlic, and Provencal herbs; gem salts like the Blue Diamond of Persia, from Pakistani salt mines, which is grated directly over the plate; lagoon salts like the Maras variety, harvested from Peruvian ponds since the time of the Incas, and ideal with grilled red meat; ocean salts such as Halen Môn from the

Isle of Anglesey off the coast of Wales, whose crunch is marvelous in a salad; and finally, sea salts, like those of the Camargue , dear to the people of Provence , or the Pyramid salt that owes its name to its particular structure, which gives a remarkable crispiness. “To be eaten with sea bass or sea bream,” insists Ciro Forte. “This is how you obtain perfect harmony between the dish and the salt. Because meat and fish should not be salted the same way. The one needs a defined, powerful salt that brings out the juice in the meat. The other calls for subtlety that respects the delicacy of its flesh.”

Did you know...

Ciro Forte offers not only salt, but also spices, with pepper at the top of the list. Or, more accurately, peppers! His range includes nearly twenty varieties. “Pepper is like grapes: the soil in each region has its own particularities. There are spicy berries, others that are fruity, even some that are smoky.” Amongst his more prized varieties is a new arrival: the Timut. This Nepalese pepper has a strong citrus scent with marked notes of orange. A 100% natural fragrance!