We had never seen such a deep brown coloured salt before. Its fragrance is similar to that of caramel as opposed to the ocean scent, one might expect.

Despite the high magnesium content, the bitterness of the salt itself is not so strong also. These features help to draw out the sweetness and taste of any foods it’s eaten in combination with.

In 2008, Mr. Yawata, formally a salaryman worker at a Japanese company, returned to Shimane prefecture before his retirement to start producing this amazing salt.

Holding a great passion for his product, he takes great care to use only raw materials from the island including the wood and charcoal which is used to dry the salt during the production process.

For those of you who are not familiar with candle island, it is a beautiful location that resembles a candle when the sun sets each evening. We encourage you to imagine this stunning view and try this salt with some lighter coloured foods to fully appreciate the colour contrast. Please enjoy its aromatic scent and flavour.

Also known as “Chattan’s Salt”, this smooth grain contains calcium taken from the coral on Yonaguni island.

This faintly coloured salt, matching that of the coral, is sweetened by the calcium which particularly complements beans, such as tofu, by raising their sweetness. Please taste and see for yourself.

This "Chattan's salt" blend is produced using a concentrated low-temperature evaporation process and is a by-product of the largest seawater to freshwater conversion facility in Okinawa prefecture.

"Urawashino hana" by "ur" which means coral in Okinawa dialect and "sea of ​​beauty". We encourage you to imagine the Okinawan Coral sea as you taste this salt.

Yagaji Island is located in Yanbaru, north of Nago City in Okinawa prefecture, Japan. It is often said that this was the very first place to make salt in Okinawa and has been doing so for over 400 years.

Cooked in a unique iron pot, the salt made here reacts to the iron in the pot and takes a light brown colour.

It’s acidic taste, as a result of the iron, means this salt goes well in combination with lean meat and fish.

This salt is cooked in the largest flat pot in Japan, in the largest salt production center in Okinawa Prefecture.

Coinciding with Okinawa’s return to the mainland, a monopoly system regarding salt production began which severely restricted the free production of salt. A group of people came together to protect Okinawa’s blue sea and salt, often considered the “true salt of the island” and to this day remain active, marking Aoiumi Co. the oldest salt-making center in Okinawa.

It has a very balanced profile across a variety of tastes including sweet, savoury, salty, bitter, sour and extra taste. We, the salt coordinators often use this salt as a good base when comparing it to others.

If you are unsure about which salt to use, we recommend this salt as it helps bring out the flavour of a variety of dishes.

This salt is cooked in the largest flat pot in Japan, in the largest salt production center in Okinawa Prefecture.

Coinciding with Okinawa’s return to the mainland, a monopoly system regarding salt production began which severely restricted the free production of salt. A group of people came together to protect Okinawa’s blue sea and salt, often considered the “true salt of the island” and to this day remain active, marking Aoiumi Co. the oldest salt-making center in Okinawa.

No.6 (Aoiumi) is roasted to take the moisture out of the salt. No longer damp, it is best used in small amounts. In fact, we feel it is very interesting to compare and try this salt together with the standard No.6.

As the name might suggest this salt is made in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture. It is quite delicious. In fact, it was after tasting this salt during my visit to Ishinomaki in 2013 that I became passionate about salt and decided to open solco.

Salt is not merely a salty white powder! This salt has a surprisingly savoury taste and quite often customers wanted to purchase before we were even able to provide it for sale.

After we got permission to launch the bottle refilling service, we could finally start selling this product in 2016 as No. 008 which is the same number as the solco opening date.

Using seawater, taken from a popular oyster farming bay, this family took great care to craft their own unique pots for making salt. This custom pots was designed to make it difficult for others to imitate their production method.

Since this salt already has a taste profile compatible with that of fish and other seafood, we recommend that you try this salt with various fish dishes such as grilled fish or sashimi to help effectively bring out the flavour. When using this salt you do not need to use dashi stock.

The ocean off Wajima, Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture is a location with both cold and warm currents collide. For this reason, there is an abundance of both vegetable and animal plankton.

The seawater there by Hegura Island is around body temperature and is taken to Ishikawa prefecture where is it evaporated using an indoor lamp and wind for 10 days to reveal this crystal salt.

These sparkling crystals are mixed in texture with larger and smaller grains. It is a great visual to add to a finished dish and especially goes well with fermented foods such as miso.

Sasagawa Flow is the picturesque natural coast of Niigata Prefecture. Salt production is done here by taking sea water from the nearby ocean using specific clothes, which are carefully dried over firewood.

This Sasagawa-nagare salt is then removed from the straw baskets and ready to serve. It has quite a rich body filled with magnesium giving it a strong taste complementing dishes such as lean fish or enhancing the flavour of sour vegetables such as tomatoes.

Sasagawa Flow is the picturesque natural coast of Niigata Prefecture.

Seawater, taken from a nearby area where a lot of Hondawara seaweed grows naturally, is cooked combining many minerals such as iodine and potassium from this seaweed with the salt.

It is characterized by a strong smell and brings an ocean taste to the food it’s eaten in combination with. Since Tamamoshio has a strong flavour, like No.10, it fits well with seafood dishes such as grilled red fish or sashimi.

In the era of the monopoly system where salt could not be made freely, Mr. Kojima of Tosa's Amamiya shop, began learning his trade. He studied how to produce salt using a sun drying technique in Izu Ohshima Island.

Upon learning his trade he returned to his hometown in Kochi where he was the first person to start making salt.

Nowadays, for anyone who is interested in learning the same sun drying production technique in Kochi, there are many people who have studied these methods and follow Mr. Kojima’s lineage.

We fell this salt embodies the personality and dedication of Mr. Kojima. We recommend you taste Amami with a traditional rice ball to get this delicious and old-fashioned taste for yourself.

In Kochi, there are many people making sun dried salt along the coast. However, Mr. Morisawa dared to carry the sea water to the mountainside near Shimanto river. It was here where he started his slow drying salt production.

Typically, when concentrating and drying seawater to make salt, the calcium is often removed. However, Mr. Morisawa developed his own slow concentration process which keeps calcium from evaporating, crystallizing it with the salt.

Through this method, Yamashio-kozo develops a sweet citrus yet bitter taste profile. It’s also characterized by the large cube and pyramidal shaped crystals.

The beautiful coastline by Hyuga City, Miyazaki Prefecture is famous for the mythology about the Emperor’s ship sailing.

For this Mancho salt, seawater is taken and concentrated during high tide when offshore seawater is pulled to the shore. This salt contains a strong balance of minerals which gives this salt a sharp texture at first followed by a deep savoury flavour that comes out gradually.

Recently, salt production has been resurrected in Mihama, Chita Peninsula, Aichi Prefecture which was traditional known for making salt since the early Kofun period.

In a rare bamboo branch facility, concentrated sea water is boiled down and then dried in the sun.

This process produces a pale cream coloured fine crystal salt, rich in calcium. Upon tasting, Mihama salt is first sweet followed by moderately bitter taste. We recommend you try this salt in combination with fried foods such as tonkatsu pork cutlets or mince croquettes.

A saltwater production center in “Iwaizaki”, Kesennuma, dating back to the edo period, was resurrected by Mr. Isejiro Endo. Salt from this region was known as “Isejiro’s Passion Salt”.

Mr. Isejiro passed away during the 3.11 tsunami and after inheriting his production facility, through trial and error, local volunteers resumed salt production in his honour and to help re-establish business back to the area.

The Kesennuma Fisheries & Food Business Cooperation Association have promoted and supported this production. This support included helping Kesennuma Salt to be included in a variety of delicious fish products from Kesennuma and promoting their story with ‘Salt Making’ experience events in the local area, Tokyo and other parts of Japan. Kesennuma Salt is characterized by its glimmering crystals and keeps the deep ocean taste from the port of Kesennuma. It goes very well in combination with seafood dishes.

By chance, a promoter of this salt stopped by solco and introduced us to this fantastic salt.

The traditional style Japanese hotel, Ryokan called Kaiyu sits on the Tango peninsula in Kyoto. This Kotobikihama salt is from the seawater directly in front of the Ryokan.

You can hear the beautiful sound called “Nakisuna” as the waves flow up and down the pure sands of Kotobikihama beach.

Seawater is taken at a depth of 5m from this picturesque area and slowly cooked over several days using traditional salt production methods.

The atmosphere in Kyoto is centred around a slower and softer way of life. Kotobikihama salt is a little different. It has a bitter and savoury taste which is taken from the Sea of Japan, yet it still stays true to its origin as its soft texture reflects the mood of the City.

By chance, a nice customer stopped by solco and introduced us to this fantastic salt.

Yugejima is an island in the Shimanami archipelago of Ehime prefecture. During the Heian period, the Emperor gifted this island to Kyoto Toji, the main temple in Kyoto.

To this day, in Kyoto Toji you can see the Toji Hyakugo Document which states that all salt, vegetables, fish and other produce made on the island now belong to Kyoto Toji. This document was registered as a UNESCO World Memory Heritage item in 2015.

Further back during the Kofun period, many pottery items, which were made by boiling seaweed and seawater together were also excavated, this would suggest that Yugejima was a prosperous hub for salt making.

In 2007, an association to share this Yugeshio culture was established and production of salt on the island was revived.

People often refer to ‘Amamo’ as seaweed since it grows in the sea, however it is not a seaweed, it is a plant, part of the grass family.

Collection of this ‘Amamo’ is prohibited for conservation, but you are allowed collect strains that are washed onto the beach by waves. When boiled down with seawater it transforms into a unique beige/grey salt.

It is a very flavourful grain, with a slight bitter taste from the Amamo, however it does not smell like seaweed. We recommend you try this salt with tofu and vegetables although it works well in combination with meat and fish also.

On the islands floating in the vicinity of Hyogo Prefecture Awajishima, there is a legend that God made a mountain of salt as Nippon Shoki and Kojiki as "Onokoro" or "Onogoro” island. It is said that Japan has been made from the island by that way .....

Many similar legends come from Awajishima. Salt production began in the region in 2012.

Using an iron pot the seawater evaporates over a low temperature in order to keep the sweetness of the salt.

As the water evaporates the salt slowly crystallizes into a variety of big and small grains. Precise care is taken to ensure that only the larger sized crystals are taken.

These soft crystals have a light and gentle taste. We encourage you to think of the Awajishima legend about the birth of Japan as you try this delicate salt.

By chance, the salt maker himself stopped by solco and introduced us to this fantastic salt.

The god of salt known as "Shiotsuchiojinokami" has a grey beard and appears in a book by the name of Kojiki. After the birth of Japan, he arrived in Shiogama, Miyagi prefecture, and showed the people there how to make salt. In his honour there is a statue of "Shiotsuchiojinokami” in Shiogama shrine.

For many years, people in this area had been using seaweed and seawater to produce salt, however, that traditional slowly faded over time. Despite no salt production, even to this day there is a yearly salt burning festival every July in Shiogama shrine.

For that reason, in 2006, 6 people started to revive seaweed salt production in Shiogama area once more.

The actual production method for Shiogama Moshio is the same as that depicted during the yearly salt festival, above the pot the seawater is poured over the Hondawara seaweed, which is taken from the same traditional location. This allows the seawater to absorb some of the flavour and minerals from the seaweed. The water is then boiled.

Shiogama Moshio has a snow white colour and holds the elegant taste of the Hondawara seaweed, which serves as a reminder to the origin and history behind this salt.

By chance, the salt maker himself stopped by solco and introduced us to this fantastic salt.

Ohda City sits to the west of Izumo City in Shimane prefecture.

Long ago, the goddess of Mercy travelled from the region called Kudara (now known as Korea) to Kudara Ura.

This salt is new. Production began in 2012 when local retirees were recruited to help in production process.

Kudara Ura seawater and a black seaweed called arame are boiled together in a flat pot to make arame soup.More seawater is boiled separately and the arame soup is then added.

When drying the crystallised salt, you must remove it from the heater several times to loosen the remaining crumbs with your hands. It is important to remove any large lumps as these will heavily affect the bitterness of the salt. However, once removed, you are left with a mild and elegant salt.

The bitterness from the large amount of magnesium is offset by the large amount of calcium that brings a sweet taste to Kudara Ura Moshio. To finish this salt grain has a slightly milky and mild flavour.

Everyone in Izu Oshima area knows that the first company to make salt was Umi no Sei.

Mr. Sakamoto was the first person to make a salt field for “ Umi no Sei”, he in turn shared how to make salt to Mr. Mima, who started making a special salt in 2008, by taking seawater from a depth of 300m from the nearby volcanic spring.

Using a 24 hour salt field and a low temperature flat pot, the salt is crystalized.

The name Hamane is derived from the Japanese words for ‘Hama’ meaning ‘Beach’ and ‘Ne’ meaning ‘Root’.

An important feature of Hamane salt is that the sea water used is filtered through basalt until it is transparent and blended similar to that of inland ground water.

Adding this salt to meat will help bring out the flavour of meat while also keeping it moist.

By placing the salt in a saucepan and heating slightly while gently mixing with your hand you can bake Hamane which will really enhance its unique flavour.

solco use this beautiful pyramid salt as our company logo.

There are two distinct shapes, an Eiffel tower grain and Mayan Pyramid grain.

First you must resolve No. 201 in holly pure water. Then, by leaving the water to sit still under the sun, the salt begins to crystalize and an upside pyramid forms gradually starting from the water’s surface to the bottom of the pot.

Only grains which resemble that of the two pyramid types are selected and gathered.

Before you eat, please take a look at these beautiful pyramid structures.

Its light crunchy texture and moderate salty taste will give a balance and rhythm to your meal.

We recommend you try this salt in combination with salads like tomatoes or steamed vegetables or even with meat.

Off the coast of Bali, there is a rare natural occurrence as two ocean currents collide. Deep sea water from a depth of nearly 2000m rises to the surface. This seawater is taken to Kusamba and blended into the renowned coconut tree trunk salt fields there and left to crystalize.

You bring this salt from Kusamba to Tejaqula where the salt is then dried under the sun.

This salt is quite moist yet keeps a little crunch, almost evoking a faint coconut flavour.

In the south of Croatia sits the ancient city of ‘Nin’ in the province of Dalmatia. This famous landscape faces the Adriatic Sea and is a popular tourist attraction.

Salt production has been conducted here since the early ages of the Roman Empire. They often praised the salt from this region as “White Gold”.

The exact date when salt production began here in Croatia is unknown, however, the ancient Illyrians produced salt and conflict over these lucrative salt fields was very common dating back to the 1^st century BC (approx. 2100 years ago). In fact, Nin has the oldest recorded existence of a salt field in the world.

The Nin salt grain is quite large and melts slowly when eaten. It has a soft texture which allows you to taste it’s aromatic and salty flavour easily.

This is a sun-dried salt which is made by pulling the sea water from the sea beside Huizhu, Fujian Province in China. This area is characterized by a large amount of basaltic rocks. The sea water is then placed into salt fields filled with ceramic bricks and left to crystallize for a full year to fully drain any bitter tasting ingredients.
 

It is said that the emperor licked salt every morning to grasp his condition each day and in turn made a medicinal dish suitable for that condition. China Fujian is known in China as the salt that the emperors loved for over a thousand years.

This salt complements a wide variety of dishes. In particular, before cooking rice, add a little bit and you can taste a nice sweetness when cooked.

In the south of Jeolla Province in South Korea sits the Dadohaehaesang National Park which was designated a Biodiverse Reserve by UNESCO in 2009.

Here in this park there is a coastal style salt field where sun dried salt is made. Firstly, the sea water evaporates using the sun, then it is resolved again with more water before being cooked in a flat pot and allowed to crystallize.

Despite the pretty cube type crystals of Jeollanam-do salt, it has an impactful, sharp and strong taste. Please sprinkle over dishes to enhance the visual before giving it a taste for yourself.

Alaea, meaning red clay in Hawaiin, comes from the volcanic clay which is collected from the Hawaiian sea bed. This salt it is made by blending and roasting this Hawaiian volcanic Alaea with Seawater, therefore, this salt has a high mineral content especially iron, magnesium and calcium.

Alaea Salt is an essential ingredient for traditional Hawaiian cuisine. With its deep orange colour it will give your dish a nice visual contrast and introduce the sweetness and fragrance of the Hawaiian Alaea to your meal.

French Guérande salt has long been famous. However, the Camargue region has a long history of salt production also. In fact, production here dates all the way back to the early Roman empire.

Camargue Fleur de sel is gathered directly from the surface of the local salt ponds. Camargue Gros sel is a large crystal type salt which sinks to the bottom of the salt ponds and is then collected. Finally, Camargue Sel fin is a crushed type salt.

The moderate grain size of Camargue Sel fin allows you to better enjoy its texture. It is also characterized by a deep salty flavour.

South America is famous for Andes Mountain Range Rock Salt or Lake Salt, however, in Brazil there is also an abundance of seawater for salt production.

On the beautiful Rio Grande do Norte coast, seawater is added to a salt field to a depth of 30cm. Under the scorching equator sun and wind it begins to naturally crystallizes. Only crystals from a depth of 25cm are harvested to avoid any impurities from the surface layer. These crystals are then washed with high concentrated seawater during crushing into small pieces.

This deep taste is delicious and you can feel it in the back of your throat. It particularly goes well in combination with shellfish or baked meat.

It is said that the hottest natural spring in the world is in Obama spa in Unzen, Nagasaki prefecture, with a temperature of up to 105 degrees.

Unzen’s Hot Spring Salt is a green, zero CO2 emission salt which is created when the drinkable spring water evaporates through the natural heat of the spring.

Rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium and calcium, this salt is characterised by its combination of a sour, yet sweet and deep salty taste.

Its high potassium content means that it complements a variety of fried foods such as tempura and fish as well as fatty meat.

Japan's first salt! Perhaps the first in the world?

This Spring Water (Yuusui) Salt comes from a transparent sea? water that springs up from the bottom of the ocean.

Originally, only water flowing from the ground such as a mountain was considered spring water.

However, researcher Shogo Arai found that there was also salt spring water deep from the sea floor.

This spring seawater has been found all along the coast of Japan, although its actual cause and source is still under research.

This salt comes from Sagiura, a district of Usagi in Izumo, Shimane prefecture. Mr. Osamu Abe has been making the seaweed salt since 2005. We also had the opportunity to meet with researcher Mr. Arai in 2016 who explained how they uses specific equipment to take the sea spring water of Sagiura.

Since this is a unique clear sea water there is no earthy taste that one might expect hearing that it is taken from the ocean bed. It has a clear taste, balanced and savoury coming from its mineral content.

The Himalayan Mountains are the highest in the world, and run along several countries including Nepal, India, Pakistan and Tibet.

A layer of rock salt exists in the mountains and various kinds of grains are collect from this area.

Black salt is mined along the Nepal and Tibet borders. The rocks that are mined look black at first glance, however, when crushed into a powder they have a beautiful crimson colour.

This Black salt forms after it was exposed to the high temperatures of magma many years ago. It contains a lot of sulphur, which gives a slight egg scent when sprinkled onto moist food dishes.

We recommend you try this salt with a variety of egg dishes and surprisingly its sweetness can also complement some desserts. We encourage you to experiment with this salt yourself to find its crimson colour changing to blue grey.

There are 18.6 million tons of rock salt between the Russian border and Mongolia’s world heritage district called Uvs Lake.

In Mongolian it is called “Divine” salt and has a variety of using including medical.

The rocks are minded and then crushed in Ulaanbaatar. It is said that the rock salt is formed at a temperature close to the melting point of magnesium and therefore there is very little magnesium in this salt.

With almost no magnesium it has just a little bitterness and tastes slightly acidic, which comes from its iron content. Although it is quite salty, you can also feel a little sweetness in the back of your throat.

It is a versatile salt that draws out the flavour of any food it is eaten with.

Deep in the mountains in Sichuan Province, there is a rock salt layer which formed when the mountains emerged from the ocean about 1-200 million years ago. To extract the rock salt, makers dig down to a depth of 1000m underground pulling up water and rock salt. This is then filtered, boiled and recrystallized into salt.

Sichuan rock salt produced through this dissolution method dissolves the sodium-rich rock salt layer, which results in a high sodium content. Yet, this salt has a deep savoury taste. Its crystals are also smooth and easy to use when cooking. In particular, it can sweeten the fat of any meat dishes.

This is a rock salt mined near Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

The City is named after the nearby Great Salt lake which is dense in salt water and has a nearby area rich in rock salt also.

This red grain is produced by refining the large rocks which are marbled with red crystals.

This Utah salt has been certified by the seasoning department of the P.C.A (Professional Chefs Association) which is composed of American chefs whom evaluated its quality.

With little potassium and magnesium it has no bitterness and works well in combination with meat and fried foods. It can also add a touch of sweetness and help balance the flavour of your dish.

This cute pinkish salt is mined on the Bolivian side of the South American Andes Mountains.

When the Andes formed due to crustal deformation 300 million years ago, deep sea water including a large amount of minerals was fused into the rock salt layer of the mountains which has since been elevated to 3000 m in altitude and crystallized.

It’s Pink colour is an indicator of iron content which typically brings a sour taste to the salt. However, this salt is not so strong and has quite a mellow balance and sweetness. It is easy to match this salt with a variety of dishes. Please try for yourself and discover your favourite combination.

The Sacred Valley of the Incas also known as the Urubamba Valley is a valley in the Andes of Peru near the Inca capital of Cusco.

The salt water field sits high in the sky at an altitude of 3000 m.

600 years have passed since the Inca era, yet the salt production here is still made the same way. Ancient underground Salt water is taken from the mountains and placed into 3000 salt ponds built on the steep slopes. This water is then left to crystalized under the sun and wind.

The crystals of this salt have a beautiful pale pink colour and the view of the mountain slopes covered in these salt ponds like rice paddies it breath taking.

This versatile salt is low in magnesium and potassium which takes away the bitterness. It is quite a strong-tasting salt which can complement simple dishes by adding a rich taste before cooking such as rice for example or in combination with fresh tomatoes or tofu. Adding to its versatility, this rock salt texture goes will with meat, fried food and fish also.

The Ural Mountains of Russia formed between 250 million and 300 million years ago. At that time, a rock salt layer formed as them mountains emerged from their ancient ocean.

This rock salt is mined deep in the mountain range and is crushed and stored before bringing it to the surface to avoid exposure to the rain, snow or wind.

Although this rock salt is relatively rich in sodium, it has a nice savoury balance and melts quickly when eaten. We recommend you try this salt in combination with some nice fish and meat.

Salt Lake Deborah Lake in western Australia has quite a unique origin compared to other salt lakes.

Sea water from the Indian Ocean was blown by strong westerly winds inland and after a long period of time this salt seawater became a Salt Lake.

During rainy season this area is an actual lake, however, it completely dries during the dry season forming a salt plain. It is during this time, once a year that the sun-dried salt is harvested.

This salt is both salty yet soft, we recommend you try this salt in combination with meat, fish and vegetables. You can also put a little in when you cook fresh rice.

The Dead Sea is a mysterious Lake that spans Israel and Jordan.

The typical salt concentration of sea water is about 3.4%, but the salt content of this lake has a very high concentration of about 30%.

It is said that the Salt lake formed during crustal deformation and that the amount of water drying up is larger than that of the amount of water flowing into the Dead Sea from nearby rivers, and for this reason the salt concentration is very high.

This high salt content makes the Dead Sea an environment where living things can hardly exit. Naturally crystallized salt gathers on the lake bed which is then collected.　 　　　　　　　　
It has a moderately bitter taste, yet a sweet flavour lingers. We recommend you match this salt with dishes you’d like to bring out a sweet flavour.

Many people know of the Sky Mirror as a picturesque sightseeing location.

Uyuni is the world's largest salt lake and is situated high up in the Bolivian Andes at an altitude of 3,700m. During the rainy season there is a water depth of about 10cm which gives a beautiful mirror effect.

During the dry season, the lake dries up leaving hexagonal tile patterns formed by salt crystals. This too is a magnificent sight.

Salt is collected during the dry season and piled up to a height of about 1 m, once dried it is then shipped away for usage. This salt has quite a gentle taste profile and helps draw out the flavour of the foods its eaten with.

This amazing pink salt often attracts viewers. The colouring is not artificial. A polyphenol extract, taken from purple sweet potatoes in Okinawa is added to normal A-Chan’s Salt.

This salt keeps a sweet aroma from the sweet potato which adds to the taste also.

To enjoy the colour contrast, we recommend you try this salt in combination with Tofu and white fish. It also goes well in soups and a variety of sweets like ice cream and chocolate.

It does not taste too salty, and can add a little sweetness to your dishes, as well as a nice colourful visual.

Sugarcane molasses is added to melted salt made from deep ocean water off Kumejima Island, Okinawa. This is then recrystallized to create a dream salt and sugar collaboration.

Coral calcium from coral fossils, containing more than 20 kinds of minerals, are also added.

It is characterized by potassium from the molasses and calcium from coral, however, its texture is robust with a richness from the brown sugar.

Similar to caramel, this salt can deliciously match a wide variety of dishes. By all means, please experiment to find your favourite combination.

In Okunoto Enden village, at the tip of Noto peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture, people have been making salt using a very old production method called “fried beach” salt. This typically involves manually collecting the seawater in buckets and sprinkling it over salt fields near the coast. Here it sits, exposed to the sun and wind to crystalize.

The Okunoto traditional pure salt that is made there has a strong and moderately bitter taste.

This pure salt is then blended with the very famous product from Ishikawa Prefecture, “Ishiru”, squid’s fish sauce.
 

The smell and taste are "Ishiru" itself. This salt matches well in combination with any foods you’d typically eat with soy sauce, such as sashimi, tofu and rice etc.

This salt comes from the famous coast known as the scenic and natural treasure of Niigata Prefecture, Sasagawa Flow.

Made using seawater from the Sasagawa flow, this salt is blended with bamboo grass powder.

This salt is characterized by its deep green colour and the fresh wholesome and organic scent.

You can enjoy the scent best when eaten in combination with savory tempura and sashimi, while this salt can also enhance the visual on a variety of foods such as Tofu etc. Kumazasa salt also goes well with sweets. Please try it with some vanilla ice cream or Japanese anko beans!

On the Oga Peninsula where Akita prefecture protrudes out into the Sea of Japan, Oga Studio manufactures a variety of salts.

The salt is cooked slowly over time in flat pots that was developed in-house specifically to give clean flake shape crystal. It is characterized by its sharp texture.

They also offer a variety of salt blends including moroheiya, wasabi and garlic.

This salt has a purple-red colour from the blended cherry leaves and red radish extract. You can smell the gentle cherry blossom fragrance.

According to the maker, it is very difficult to make an organically coloured salt like this, so, we’re very happy to finally have a purple salt in solco! (At first it was a cheery blossom colour but gradually became more purple.)

Please enjoy this lightly textured salt and slight bitter taste along with its sweet cherry blossom scent.

It is said that the underground water in Mt. Chokai, which is the sacred mountain in Yamagata prefecture is delicious.

Sakata Salt is made by taking this seawater which flows neaby Yuza Town, Fukiura, and cooked in a wood fired pot, using wood they sourced in house from their own company.

As the salt is firmly baked it takes on a light texture and savoury taste.

The Sakata Red Wine salt is made by adding grape pomace called “Marc”, which is ordered from a winery in Yamagata prefecture, into the sea water. This purple mix is then cooked.

Before the salt begins to crystallize, the “Marc” is removed to allow the salt crystallize carefully.

Of course there is no alcohol in this salt, however it keeps the taste and aroma of the wine. It is best eaten in combination with foods that match red wine.

The colour of the salt may vary each time you use given the variety of purple shades included.

White truffles harvested in winter in Italy’s Piedmont province have low crop yields, which makes these truffles very rare and expensive.

This rare truffle is dried and blended into French Guérande sun-dried salt which gives this grain an interesting garlic-like scent.

This white truffle fits very well with egg dishes and salads and can be really flavourful when sprinkled onto a dish before serving.

This crystal Mediterranean salt is made in Cyprus and has a variety of flavours with both pyramid and flake type shapes. This Crystal Flake salt is smoked which adds a unique smoky fragrance.

Sometimes you can find a large pyramid shaped grain. Please crush and sprinkle lightly over your dishes to enjoy this unique texture and visual.

Simply sprinkle over a variety of foods such as salmon, eggs, meat etc, to add a slight smoky taste.

This crystal Mediterranean salt is made in Cyprus and has a variety of flavours with both pyramid and flake type shapes.

Edible charcoal is blended into this salt to give Crystal Flake salt Black its dark black colour.

You can feel the faint coal by charcoal taste. By all means, please sprinkle over some white dishes to enjoy the colour contrast.